COVID-19 Pandemic  Madam Chair, the long-awaited announcement of $1.7 billion for an active well cleanup and $750 million for methane reduction are very positive steps for the energy sector for Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C. They do not need to take my word for it. I am going to quote Premier Jason Kenney, who said, “Thank you to the Prime Minister...for announcing $1.7 billion to accelerate cleanup of orphaned and abandoned wells in Canada's energy sector.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Madam Chair, let me start by pointing out that the coronavirus is a global pandemic which knows no ideology and in order to best fight that pandemic and best protect Canadians, it is essential to work with and share information with all countries where that pandemic exists. Having said that, it is also very important for all of us as members of the international community to share as much information, and information which is as accurate as possible, in order to protect our own people and also in order to protect the rest of the world.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Madam Chair, I am not going to offer precise numbers of how many people will come back from India. As the member opposite knows, it is a very difficult situation in that country. It is difficult for Canadians; it is difficult for Indians. We are very aware of the situation of Canadians there and are working to safely return the people we can.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Madam Chair, as the member knows, this is the largest and most complex repatriation effort that Canada has undertaken in recent history. To date, working with all members of the House, because all of us have constituents who have been touched by this, we have facilitated the repatriation of over 19,000 Canadians, on 144 flights, from 72 countries.

Foreign Affairs  Mr. Speaker, this is a global pandemic. That is why international co-operation and information sharing are absolutely essential. We can all help each other and save lives by gathering and sharing the most accurate information possible. Having said that, decisions about Canada are made by Canadians based on the advice of Canada's world-renowned experts.

Forestry Industry  Mr. Speaker, I agree with the member opposite about how important our forestry sector is. The crisis today reminds us of how essential products of that industry are. The pulp that is produced by Harmac on Vancouver Island is an essential input into many of the medical goods which are saving lives today.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, our government is far from indifferent to Canada's oil and gas sector. We know how essential the energy sector is to our country and how the energy sector is the source of hundreds of thousands of well-paying, middle-class jobs. That is why last week our government announced unprecedented support for workers in the energy sector in the form of support for orphan wells.

Health  Mr. Speaker, the coronavirus is a global pandemic and, as such, poses a profound security threat to Canada. For that reason, Canada's intelligence community has been deeply engaged in informing the government's actions. That is why in January the incident response group was convened by the Prime Minister, where briefings were shared and discussed.

COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands has spoken about the really unprecedented collaboration among all members of this House in addressing the challenge that all Canadians face. I want to take this opportunity to thank her colleague, the member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith, for his support in our work with the United States.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, I hope the member can tolerate an answer from the Deputy Prime Minister. It is a very important question. It is an issue that we are very focused on. The Minister of Fisheries is very aware of this. This is an area where the global economic slowdown caused by the response to the coronavirus has had a particularly sharp and striking effect.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, absolutely, but I do want to clarify one assumption embedded in the hon. member's question, and that is this notion that there will be an immediate and visible end to the pandemic. We will be fully safe and fully past this only once either a vaccine has been developed or we have a very high level of herd immunity within Canada.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, our government was focused on the threat posed by the novel coronavirus from the end of last year. We have been very aware of it and have been following it closely, both through our own officials and in close collaboration with our friends and allies around the world.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, that is another important question. Certainly for indigenous communities, and indeed for all Canadians, the combination of flood season and forest-fire season with COVID-19 is going to pose a particular set of challenges. The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness is very seized with this issue and has been working on it in close collaboration with provincial partners, indigenous partners and communities, the Minister of Indigenous Services and the Minister of Northern Affairs.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for that very important question. Last week, the Minister of Indigenous Services and I had a conversation with leaders from across the country and from first nations. Our government recognizes that people in first nations, Inuit and Métis communities are among the most vulnerable Canadians.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, that is a very important question. Our government absolutely recognizes that indigenous people in first nations, Inuit and Métis communities are among the most vulnerable Canadians and need particular support when it comes to the challenges posed by COVID-19. Last week, together with the Minister of Indigenous Services, we had a call with Chief Bellegarde and all the regional chiefs from the Assembly of First Nations.