Madam Speaker, one component of the motion we are debating today is flexibility. I was listening for that. I am recalling all of the emails I received, particularly back in May and June, and I am going to focus my comments specifically on the commercial rent program, CECRA.
Many businesses could not make use of that because of their relationship with their landlords, but I want to cite a meeting I had with Fred Naclerio, a large commercial landlord, who met with me wanting to do the right thing by his hundreds of tenants. He wanted to help them, but the hard cliff of the 70% drop and the inflexibility of the program forced his tenants to share with him financial details that made it very awkward on a go-forward basis. Even more so, for any fit-ups or any work he did as the commercial landlord on behalf of his clients, he now had to eat the utility costs and the fit-ups in his 25% contribution. He was willing to do the 25%, but there was no flexibility for all of the additional.
Can the member comment on why the landlords were pushed into a corner and had to remain within that tight restriction?