Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, our nurses, our doctors, our personal support workers are not just preparing to help us, they are helping us. They are fighting the second wave right now. That is why I am so grateful to all the Canadians who have thrown themselves into the manufacture of ventilators, who have thrown themselves into procuring ventilators.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, I take the jobs of energy workers across the country very personally and very seriously. That is why just two weeks ago our government provided $320 million directly to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in order to support its work in supporting energy workers.

Employment  Mr. Speaker, perhaps the Conservatives do not want to admit it, but our economic policy works for workers. Members do not need to take my word for it. We are told that Canada is ahead of the United States in the race to recover the jobs that were lost because of the pandemic. In August, Canada had recovered approximately two-thirds of the lost jobs, compared to 55% in the United States.

Employment  Mr. Speaker, I would just like to remind the member for Carleton that going into this crisis, Canada had the lowest unemployment rate we have had in 40 years, and I believe that there were a few Conservative governments during that period. They did not hit our record. When it comes to international comparison, the better metric is labour force participation.

COVID-19 Emergency Response  Mr. Speaker, personally, I love the small businesses of Edmonton Strathcona, in particular. In the Speech from the Throne, we committed to extending CEBA to support small businesses across the country and to support small businesses with their fixed costs, including rent. That is something that we are working on right now with the provinces and municipalities.

COVID-19 Emergency Measures  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question, which is truly important. In the Speech from the Throne, we promised we would help SMEs pay their fixed costs. This assistance is more important than ever since we are in the second wave and the provinces, including Quebec, have taken strong measures to combat this second wave.

COVID-19 Emergency Measures  Mr. Speaker, the answer is yes. I discussed this issue with Quebec's finance minister, Éric Girard, yesterday evening. He and I are going to be talking again this evening. I have a question for the Bloc. Once we have completed the technical work, I hope the Bloc will vote with us.

Health  Mr. Speaker, I absolutely agree that the second wave in Quebec and Ontario is very serious. We are taking it seriously. That is why we signed the safe restart agreement, which includes close to $3 billion for Quebec to support a safe restart.

Health  Mr. Speaker, we are well aware of how serious the health care situation is in Quebec. That is why we gave Quebec nearly $3 billion for the economic recovery and health measures. We also helped seniors in Quebec through our Canadian Armed Forces. We were there when Quebec needed us and we will always be there for Quebeckers.

Health  Mr. Speaker, the plan is to continue working closely with the provinces, territories and municipalities. We purchased 7.9 million rapid tests last week, and we will have more news this week. As for our approach, the safe restart agreement we reached this summer will provide the provinces and territories with $19 billion in support.

Health  Mr. Speaker, I must agree with the leader of the NDP about one thing: We truly are at a crossroads when it comes to COVID-19. The second wave is here right now, particularly acute in Quebec and Ontario, and each one of us has a responsibility to do everything we can to flatten the curve.

Health  Mr. Speaker, let me begin by congratulating the member opposite on his election as leader of the official opposition and by saying how pleased I was by his and his wife's recovery from COVID-19. I share the member opposite's view that rapid testing is absolutely essential to our health.

Health  Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me say the health minister is a cherished colleague who is doing a fantastic job. When it comes to provinces and the fight against the coronavirus, this is an effort that we must undertake together. That is why over the summer we agreed, in the safe restart agreement, to $19 billion to the provinces to support their fight against coronavirus and another $2 billion for the safe restart of schools.

Health  Mr. Speaker, I agree with the opposition leader concerning the measures that the Province of Quebec has taken. I support these strong measures. That is very important, and we must work with Quebec. Concerning rapid tests, we bought 7.9 million of them last week. The tests will be in Canada next week.

Health  Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear. The Prime Minister and, indeed, I believe all members of the House take the health of Canadians extremely seriously. When it comes to rapid testing, I was very pleased that last week we were able to announce the procurement of 7.9 million rapid tests.