COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, as part of our global response to ensuring that each province has the health care capacity it needs to respond in this time of crisis, the Minister of Health and I are working with our colleagues in the area of health and disability to ensure provincial needs are identified and that we can, through collaboration, address them.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, Service Canada offices were closed both in the public health interest of our public servants, but also in the public health interest of Canadians who access services through these offices. I can appreciate the frustration of individuals who do not have phone or Internet access, and I will take that back as a personal challenge.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, I can assure every member in this House that vulnerable Canadians, in particular those with disabilities, are top of mind for this government. Yesterday we issued a statement affirming our commitment to leave no one behind and to ensure quality of access to health care and medical treatment, and that is exactly what we are doing.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for that great question. We are aware of such cases. We are working together as a team to resolve that problem. I have no answer to offer him at this time, but it is certainly a top priority for me and my team.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, quite frankly, as quickly as possible, we are trying to address the systemic gaps in the CERB. At this time, I cannot tell members exactly when each specific change will go into effect, but I can make a commitment on behalf of myself and the government to do it as quickly as possible.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, before I answer my colleague's questions, I would like to thank all members for their collaboration and their hard work. When we created the Canada emergency response benefit, we knew there was still work to be done. That is what we are doing right now. In the coming days, we will continue to look for groups that may not have been included.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, of course, we will have to look at individual cases. In this case, if that individual is not working because of COVID-19, he or she may qualify for the CERB. We can look at this particular case on the member's behalf.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for his question. The parameters are very clearly defined. I will be able to get back to him with a more specific answer after today. Income earned at work counts towards the $5,000. This is a little more flexible than the tax system, but we are talking about income earned at work over the past 12 months.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, we are having a second intake that will be a combined effort of MP offices and Service Canada. In order to get this out as quickly as possible, we felt the best way forward would be to take an all-hands-on-deck approach so that it did not take weeks and months, but in fact days.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, we are currently looking at consequences for a number of groups of their ability to meet the eligibility criteria for EI moving forward. I think also of substitute teachers who are not able to get the hours they need now because they are not in schools teaching. We know that while this may seem a little ways off, this is a very pressing issue for Canadians, and we are digging in on it right now.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, if it is the intent of this Parliament to change the overall criteria of the CERB, that is a legislative requirement. Under the first emergency response legislation there is regulatory power, for lack of a better word, given to me as minister, to make certain classes of workers or types of income exempt from the requirements of the act.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, the numbers we are dealing with in this crisis, with respect to EI applications between March 15 and April 6, and CERB combined applications since, are extraordinary. Let me give you some numbers. Yesterday, April 10, 231,000 people applied for CERB. That includes EI and non-EI eligible.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, I am sure the member opposite would agree that members of Parliament are uniquely positioned to know the needs and what is going on in their community. They are not alone in this. We also have Service Canada public servants working around the clock, contacting employers to determine if they want to keep offering these jobs or if they would like to amend the job descriptions that they want to offer young people.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, an artist who earned more than $5,000 last year and who is no longer earning that money is of course eligible for the Canada emergency response benefit.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, I apologize if I have created any confusion. We are in the process of ensuring that seasonal workers on EI will, in fact, have access to the CERB. Those regulations are not yet in place. Therefore, at this moment they do not, but we are making sure that they will.