Employment  Mr. Speaker, the reality is far too many Canadians are falling through the cracks, in particular students. Summer jobs have disappeared, on-campus jobs have disappeared and students do not qualify for the CERB. Students are just one of many examples of people who are falling through the cracks because of the criteria.

Proceedings of the House and Committees  Mr. Speaker, I have a question for my colleague. I heard a lot of concerns about rent. Has the hon. member heard questions about the rent paid by SMEs?

Proceedings of the House and Committees  Madam Speaker, I thank my deputy leader for his question. That is exactly right. For weeks now, over the course of this crisis, we have witnessed acts of courage and compassion from Canadians. We have seen that people want to take care of each other, and it is very important to tap into this energy, this movement, to bring about positive change.

Proceedings of the House and Committees  Madam Speaker, I would hope that during a pandemic we would be spending our time in Parliament talking about how to better help people, how we can provide help to front-line health care providers and how we can help people in long-term care homes. That is what we should be spending our time on in this Parliament, but the Conservatives would rather talk about procedures and how we sit in the House.

Proceedings of the House and Committees  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. That is exactly why we proposed a universal benefit and sending money directly to people. Too many people are slipping through the cracks. We think a universal benefit is the solution to this problem. If we provide a universal benefit, we can help seniors, students and everyone else who has slipped through the cracks.

Proceedings of the House and Committees  Madam Speaker, I want to begin by expressing our sadness as New Democrats and all Canadians. We are grieving today as a nation for the horrible loss suffered by those living in Nova Scotia. The senseless violence and loss of life is all that much more painful given the safety precautions and measures that need to be taken with COVID-19 and how these will limit loved ones from coming together to mourn in the usual way.

Business of the House  Mr. Speaker, following consultations with all of the parties, I would like to seek unanimous consent for the following motion: I move: That, notwithstanding any standing order, special order or usual practice of the House, paragraph r) of the order adopted earlier today be replaced with the following: the government implement measures without delay to address gaps in the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, or other programs, existing or proposed, to address the needs of seasonal workers, those who have exhausted their EI benefits, students, owner/operators, those who continue to receive a modest income from part-time work, royalties, and honoraria, and that, in addition, the government work to ensure essential workers who receive low wages will receive additional income support during this time of crisis, and commit that those who have applied in good faith for and received benefits through CERB or other programs to support them through this crisis will not be unjustly penalized;

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, indigenous leaders across the country have told me that health care resources in their communities were already stretched to the limit and that they would need access to additional personnel. The existing nurse shortage is leaving many indigenous communities incredibly vulnerable to COVID-19.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, for a long time it has been clear that federal governments have left indigenous communities behind. The state of infrastructure in many communities, as members know, means that indigenous communities are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19. Self-isolation and physical distancing are not practices that many indigenous communities are able to take part in, as a result of overcrowding and unsafe housing.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, I want to now turn my attention to flooding and the way that flooding is going to impact indigenous communities across the country. I will give one example of such a community: Kashechewan. It represents a lot of what happens across Canada. The specific concern is that the solution to indigenous communities faced with flooding cannot simply be camping out on the land.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, will the Prime Minister just say today really clearly that if people need help, they can apply right now for the CERB, while the government is fixing the gaps? Will the Prime Minister just say very clearly to all Canadians, “If you need help, apply now”, while the government is fixing the problems?

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, some credit unions have recently waived interest rates entirely, so a 0% interest rate is what they are charging on their credit cards, while banks are still charging astronomical interest rates. The six big banks in Canada, BMO, CIBC, National Bank, RBC, Scotiabank and TD, reported more than $46.5 billion in profits last year.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, during the 2008 financial crisis we saw bailouts that effectively bailed out corporations that then took the money, left Canada and left workers high and dry. The workers lost their jobs while those companies and corporations took billions of dollars from Canada. Will the government ensure we are going to prohibit any CEO bonuses and stock buybacks for the companies that receive government subsidies or bailouts and ensure that the money goes directly toward workers with strings attached to keep people employed, not to enrich the corporation, its shareholders or its executives?

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Chair, I just want to raise a concern again. We have heard stories that represent some of the millions of Canadians who are right now falling through the cracks and who cannot access the CERB. We have heard from people who have multiple jobs, who have lost a lot of work but still get some income: freelance and contract workers, artists and the self-employed.

Statements Regarding COVID-19  Mr. Speaker, in the last month, our world has changed dramatically. On Thursday, we learned that a million Canadians have lost their jobs. This is not just a statistic; these are families that are now struggling to put food on the table, to pay rent and to make ends meet. The government has moved to respond to this crisis, but in many cases too slowly.