COVID-19 Emergency Response Act  Mr. Speaker, the member for Fredericton does an incredible job in her community. I want to thank her for bringing up the important issue around making sure that in a country as vast and diverse as ours, all regions are able to access the supports and equipment they need to be able to serve their communities.

COVID-19 Emergency Response Act  Mr. Speaker, yes, absolutely we would have been better prepared if we had a stronger social safety net. What this crisis has shown is that our social safety net is not as robust as it could be. I also believe that we have an opportunity right now to do something pretty incredible.

COVID-19 Emergency Response Act  Mr. Speaker, I want to take this moment to acknowledge the depth of the crisis that our country is facing and that the world is facing. The impacts of COVID-19 are gripping the world in a crisis, and Canada has felt the impacts and will continue to feel those impacts. In this crisis, there are many people we need to thank, and I want to take a moment to thank, first and foremost, the health care workers who are running toward the fire and putting themselves at risk to keep us healthy.

COVID-19 Emergency Response Act  Mr. Speaker, we all acknowledge that the COVID-19 crisis is going to put a lot of Canadians in a difficult position, particularly when it comes to housing. The government suggested that voluntary measures on the part of banks to defer mortgages is good enough. Does the member agree with the government that this is going to be good enough?

COVID-19 Pandemic  Madam Chair, I have spoken to indigenous leaders across the country. They are highlighting some serious concerns they have. Because of historic and ongoing injustices, indigenous communities have inadequate access to clean drinking water, housing, and health care services. As a result, leaders are concerned their communities will not be able to deal with COVID-19 if they are exposed and it starts to spread.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Madam Chair, one of the big concerns we have is that while we are dealing with the immediate crisis of COVID-19 and the immediate impacts on society, we also need to make sure that we have a plan once this immediate health care issue is dealt with and we look at the recovery. People need to know that they will have a job to return to.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Madam Chair, my question is for the Minister of Finance. We know that in the last week alone nearly a million Canadians applied for EI. Canadians are faced with an impossible choice: Do they stay home and help prevent the spread of an illness but risk not being able to pay their rent or put food on the table or do they go to work and risk the spread of the illness to their loved ones and themselves?

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, the plan proposed by the Liberals today does nothing for the 60% of workers who do not have access to employment insurance. Those workers are faced with an impossible decision: Should they stay home from work or pay their bills? Is the Prime Minister prepared to implement a program to help all workers stay home?

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, what the Prime Minister seems to not understand is that the vast majority of Canadians will not have access to his plan, as 60% of Canadian workers have no access to employment insurance. Imagine a service worker who is stuck with the impossible decision: Do they go to work so they can pay their bills or do they stay at home and prevent the spread of a disease but risk not being able to pay the rent?

Health  Mr. Speaker, people are deeply worried about the spread of the coronavirus, and they want to do their part. The Liberal government has suggested that people who might be infected should self-quarantine and stay at home from work. That is very difficult for workers who do not have sick leave.

Health  Mr. Speaker, health experts are concerned about the fact that our health care system is not equipped to deal with a coronavirus crisis. That is not surprising given the fact that for decades both Liberal and Conservative governments have been cutting funding to health care. To support the crisis as it potentially increases, will the Prime Minister commit to reversing the Harper era cuts and properly fund our health care system?

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, the hereditary chiefs have been asking for a meeting with the Prime Minister since January 10, over a month ago, and the Prime Minister refuses to act. We are in a national crisis. The question is simple: When will the Prime Minister meet with the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs?

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, on January 29, 2020, the Prime Minister met with Suncor Energy; on December 11, 2019, Novartis Pharmaceuticals; on November 14, Enbridge. In the past couple of months, when wealthy and powerful corporations came knocking, the Prime Minister found the time to be with them.

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has shown a lack of leadership throughout this crisis. The hereditary chiefs asked for a meeting with the Prime Minister for a over month, but he declined. We asked the Prime Minister the same question and he said that it was not his responsibility.

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, when there is a national crisis and the hereditary chiefs have asked the Prime Minister to meet with them, yes, the Prime Minister should meet with those chiefs. It is pretty simple. Indigenous leaders and business leaders have all asked the Prime Minister to meet with the hereditary chiefs.