Madam Chair, when this pandemic hit, we realized we had to move extremely quickly to get help out to Canadians, so that they would be able to take the actions necessary to isolate themselves, to stay at home and to prevent the spread of this virus. In order to do that, we needed to make sure we sent supports to Canadians so that they could do that and not have to go to work in risky positions if they did not absolutely have to in order to buy groceries and pay their rents.
We also recognized, however, that this slowdown, or almost stoppage, of the Canadian economy would need to end and we would need to come back as quickly as possible. That is why we made the decision to keep people tied to their jobs as much as possible with the wage subsidy. It would allow employers to keep people on the payroll so that when we come back to restart and reopen, they would be able to get to work almost right away.
We moved very quickly and we moved very broadly, but in both the CERB and the wage subsidy, we recognize that there is a need to improve, to tweak and to fill gaps. Even though we helped the vast majority of companies and individuals right away, we realize we need to keep refining and improving to make sure that everyone who needs it gets these programs. That is why I thank all members for making suggestions as we improve the programs.