Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the minister and her amazing team for the work they have done over these last weeks of unprecedented uncertainty. I want to tell her what a relief it was for many Canadians to know they were not going to have to worry about paying their bills or putting food on the table.
I am very grateful that our government was there right from the very beginning. The uptake of the emergency response benefit was almost eight million Canadians, which is a huge number. My constituents have come to me and shared their stories. They told me what a difference it has made.
People are slowly getting back to work, but there are still some whose jobs have not returned, so yesterday the government announced the extension of the CERB by eight weeks.
As we aim to relaunch our economy, can the minister explain to the House our government's decision to extend the CERB and what it will mean for Canadians who are still struggling with the impacts of COVID?