Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared the details of the investments that will be made through the Safe Restart Agreement. This agreement will provide continued support to Canadians, as we safely restart our economy and build a more resilient Canada.
Through the Agreement, the Government of Canada announced over $19 billion in federal funding to help provinces and territories safely restart the economy. Provinces and territories were asked to outline in a letter how these funds would best be allocated within their jurisdictions, based on their priorities. The premiers have now submitted the letters and the federal funding will be transferred to the provinces and territories.
The Safe Restart Agreement supports measures such as increasing testing and contact tracing to protect Canadians from future waves of the virus. It will help:
- support the capacity of our health care systems, including through services for people facing mental health challenges
- provide municipalities with funding so they can quickly deliver essential services, like public transit, that Canadians rely on every day, and secure a reliable source of personal protective equipment for essential workers.
- provide direct support to Canadian workers (such as safe child care to help parents returning to work)
- provide income support for people without paid sick leave, and takes steps to protect the most vulnerable, like Canada’s seniors.
For more information, please visit https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2020/09/16/prime-minister-announces-next-steps-safe-restart-agreement
Photo taken from Government of Canada
