Members of the federal government discussed how to handle a second wave of COVID-19
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Canada’s federal ag minister provided her thoughts on the recent cabinet retreat.
Marie-Claude Bibeau was among the cabinet ministers who spent three days in Ottawa discussing how the federal government plans to move forward as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect daily life.
The government is asking Canadians for time to implement strategies to overcome challenges brought on by the pandemic.
“The next few months will not be easy for anyone, but our team is fully prepared to continue working so that all Canadians can weather this crisis and so that we can safely and sustainably revive our economy at the appropriate time,” she said in a statement.
The federal government is providing a total of $19 billion to each province and territory as part of the Safe Restart Agreement.
Each respective premier sent letters to the prime minister outlining how their province’s share of the funds will be used.
Bibeau also praised the work of the ag sector.
Farmers and other members of the ag industry weren’t able to suspend operations as crops and livestock still needed tending to and Canadians still needed food.
“Despite all the anxiety they too were going through, and all the extraordinary challenges they had to face, they worked hard every day to ensure that we had good food to put on our tables,” Bibeau said. “The crisis has also enabled us to identify strengths and weaknesses of our food supply chain and recognize the importance of buying local.”
The next step for the federal government is a throne speech.
Prime Minister Trudeau will deliver remarks on Sept. 23.
The speech is expected to focus on childcare and overall healthcare, Global News reported.
A confidence vote will take place after the speech. If the Liberals don’t receive the necessary support from the opposition parties, Canadians will be heading to the polls.
AAFC photo