Mr. Chair, I would ask the hon. member to bear with me, as we are now at about 12:35 in the morning on the east coast, and it has been an engaging debate every step of the way.
In response to the member's question, when I think first about the impact of this budget, I cannot ignore that we continue to be in a public health emergency. COVID-19 has thrust a lockdown on my home province of Nova Scotia most recently and people need support.
It makes me think back to the early days of the initial shutdown nearly a year and a half ago and the phone calls that were coming in to constituency offices like mine right across Canada. People were worried about putting food on the table. Business owners were worried about keeping their lights on and their doors open. Workers wanted to be kept on payroll so they knew a cheque would be coming in and they would also have access to their benefits.
We stepped up in a way that I was very proud of, with programs like CERB, helping more than nine million Canadian workers; the wage subsidy, keeping over $5 million on the payroll; and the emergency business account, helping businesses keep the lights on. Many of these benefits are extended in the budget implementation act that was been tabled recently. We know that we need to continue supporting folks until this emergency is over. Thankfully, due to the expedited vaccine rollout, it looks like that may come sooner rather than later.
As we punch out of this pandemic recession through investments that will help businesses grow, help them innovate, help with extraordinary job placements and with hiring incentives, it is essential that the growth the private-sector forecasts are suggesting will arise does not benefit the wealthy few but extends to everyone.
Are you trying to get my attention, Mr. Chair?