Proceedings of the House and Committees  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. That said, I am a little offended by her comments suggesting that we come back to the House as though it were business as usual. There have been some 4,000 deaths in Quebec. Is it not the responsibility of elected officials, the representatives of the people, to lead by example, to listen to public health advice, to avoid bringing 300 or 330 MPs together in the House, and instead adapt our behaviour and our work to the current crisis?

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Speaker, I am just not sure that I would describe the health care system as “these things”. It is much more important than that. My colleague did raise an important question, however. Compared to many other countries, such as South Korea, it seems that Canada did not really learn anything from SARS.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Speaker, in this exceptional crisis that we are all going through together, I think all the parties have had a role to play to varying degrees. We in the NDP have always said we are not just a party that opposes; we are also a party that proposes. Obviously, we are never totally satisfied.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Mr. Speaker, I have a quick question for the member for La Prairie. I appreciated his tirade against tax havens. I think we agree on this aspect of social justice. I would like to hear his thoughts on assistance for SMEs. We want the government to put more pressure on banks and to do more than simply asking them to be nice and consider suspending mortgages.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Madam Chair, I recently heard quite a troubling story. The person who told the story does not qualify for the CERB. He is unemployed, and he does not qualify for employment insurance either. He lives on social assistance. He gets $700 per month, and rent costs him $600. He has $100 left to live on every month.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Madam Chair, the crisis that we are going through also presents opportunities for transformation and profound change. Everyone is working hard and pitching in to find solutions and get through this together. Of course, I am thinking of those who work in the health, agriculture and food industries, as well as truckers, among others.

COVID-19 Pandemic  Madam Chair, what I understand is that they are turning a blind eye. This system is legal and they will not touch it, even though they have the opportunity to do so, and as we have seen in other jurisdictions, this would be the time and the opportunity to do so. There is a whole group that has been somewhat left out right now, and that is students.

Health  Mr. Speaker, an article on Ricochet reveals troubling information about errors made and the lack of pandemic preparedness. SARS hit in 2003, but the government does not seem to have learned anything from that experience. On the other side of the world, South Korea had what it needed.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, sometimes, the best solutions are the simplest ones. We are all working incredibly hard to get through this crisis. We are investing billions of dollars to help people and businesses. Poland and Denmark just had the brilliant idea to make companies that are registered in tax havens ineligible for public assistance.

Proceedings of the House and Committees  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech and for having raised these concerns. I am the heritage critic. Montreal is home to a vast number of artists and a truly vibrant cultural scene. However, that community is getting hit hard by the crisis we are all currently experiencing.

Proceedings of the House and Committees  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague in the Green Party for his question. I believe that the current crisis gives us pause. We must help people as quickly as possible. There are also questions about what kind of society we want, for example a society where no one is left behind or abandoned.

Proceedings of the House and Committees  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. In our discussions with the government, we talked about holding the first virtual sitting next week and then holding two virtual sittings per week, starting on the following week. I imagine that was for technical reasons, to give House of Commons staff the chance to get everything set up.

Proceedings of the House and Committees  Mr. Speaker, I thank the NDP leader for his question. In Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, and in several other ridings, jobs are created mainly by SMEs. At this time they are experiencing very high levels of stress and anxiety. May 1 is around the corner and they do not know if they will be able to pay their rent.

Proceedings of the House and Committees  Madam Speaker, as all parliamentarians here in the House have done, I would like to dedicate the first part of my speech to the victims of the appalling shooting that took place in Nova Scotia today and to their families. We are already going through difficult times as a community and a society.

Proceedings of the House and Committees  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Burnaby South for his excellent speech. I would like him to explain to us why the current situation provides us with an opportunity, despite all the tragedy and the fact that this crisis is unprecedented. Often, crises enable us to make fundamental changes.