Mr. Chair, I would like to pick up on the last point the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance made in regard to our grandchildren. I am very proud of my grandchildren, and I do think of the future and the direction that we are going.
One of the things we can all feel very good about is that during the pandemic, and even pre-pandemic, we have had a government that was very concerned about the future of Canada, so our grandchildren would be in a better environment. I could go back all the way to the first budget, where we saw all forms of support for Canada's middle class, to the challenging times of the pandemic, where we continue to support Canadians in a very real way. Our government has supported, through the middle class, a healthier economy that continues to build and perform quite well in comparison to other jurisdictions. This is because of the investments we have made.
I feel very good about the future of Canada because we have had very strong stewardship of our economy through both of our ministers of finance, the strong leadership of our Prime Minister, and a caucus that works day in and day out to ensure that we get things right. When we know we need to improve, we strive to make those improvements.
Having said that, I want to provide my comments for 10 minutes, leaving four or five minutes for questions and comments with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance.
Let me start by saying that in Manitoba, in reading the Winnipeg Free Press today, there is good reason to have hope. I will read from an article about the first dose being given to 60% of adult Manitobans. It says, “Manitoba is less than two weeks away from vaccinating 70% of its eligible population against the novel coronavirus in a final push to bend the COVID-19 curve of Canada's hot spot.”
It has been difficult over the last little while, as this third wave has had a significant impact in the province that I love and care so dearly about. I know that people are genuinely concerned. Upon reflection, one of the things I think about is how the province and the people have come together. We have seen our health care workers in particular, and so many others, recognize the need to serve. They have stepped up to the plate once again.
Our ICUs are packed. We have to have people go out of province. We understand how important it is that the population continues to play that supportive role. We see that through physical distancing and respecting the need for restrictions. When I reflect on it, I go all the way back to day one, over a year ago, when the Prime Minister said that we needed to focus our attention on the pandemic, and on fighting and battling this pandemic.
He told Canadians back then that we would be there for Canadians, for real people and our businesses. If we review the things that have taken place, there are many indications showing how we have been able to get to the point we are at today. I do not have any problem whatsoever in looking beyond our borders and feeling good in terms of where Canada is today. I attribute our success to date to that team Canada approach.
The federal government did not do this on its own. There was very much a coming together of different levels of government. We saw provincial governments, municipal governments, non-profit organizations and private businesses all come together, recognizing that we needed to work together in order to overcome this world pandemic and the damage that it was causing.
From the very beginning we saw a government that understood in a very real way that we had to be there. Being there meant a program, coming from nowhere, that we know as CERB, which served over nine million Canadians. Our population is 37.5 million people. Think about what it would have taken and about the fine work of our civil servants and all those involved in making that program a reality. It put disposable income in the pockets of Canadians when Canadians needed it, when they were concerned about how they were going to pay their mortgages and their bills. Bills do not stop coming in even when someone does not have an ability to generate income because of the pandemic.
Imagine the number of businesses that would not be here today if the government, working with others as a team, had not developed programs that have become the pillars of the federal government throughout the pandemic. I am thinking of the emergency business account, emergency commercial rent program and lockdown support. I loved the wage subsidy program. That program saved tens of thousands of jobs. It kept people working during the pandemic. Not only was it good for individual Canadians, but it was also good for businesses. There was the business recovery benefit, recovery sickness benefit and recovery caregiver benefit. Those were the pillars that were there to ensure that the federal government had the backs of Canadians. That was so very important. By doing that, we are in a far greater position to be able to build back better.
We look at the budget implementation bill and the budget, which we heard about from the Minister of Finance. It is an incredible, progressive budget that supports Canada's middle class and those aspiring to be a part of it in a very real and tangible way. We can look at what it is doing for child care. We can look at the budget's potential of getting more people engaged and the contribution that that engagement is going to have on Canada's future growth. We have recognized the value of long-term care and standards. We have learned a great deal from the pandemic and we can take advantage of what we have learned and build upon it. That is what this budget is doing.
Canada has hope today because we have a government that recognizes the value of working as a team with other levels of government, with Canadians. We have a government that recognizes the value of bringing forward a budget, which is going to make a difference. That takes me to my first question for the parliamentary secretary to the minister of finance. Reflecting on the budget implementation bill and how it is a continuation of allowing us to build back better, so that we will have a stronger and healthier future for the next generation and today's generation, could he provide his thoughts on why this bill is so critically important at this time to continue to be there in a real, tangible way for all Canadians from coast to coast to coast?
