The prime minister is up. He's talking about the job report. "As stark as those numbers are they aren't a surprise for many Canadians," he says.
He promises to help Canadians "bridge to better times" and some 4.5 million people have already been approved for the CERB. The government is working on legislation for a wage subsidy. "We will keep expanding our 3-point economic plan to get everyone the help they need."
"As a country we've gotten through tough times before," PM says, referencing the battle at Vimy Ridge in the First World War. "It was a moment ordinary people did extraordinary things. Their sacrifice and courage defined what it is and what it meant to be a Canadian."
"Right now the future can seem even more uncertain than normal. If you've lost your job or concerned about an elderly parent, you want to know what to expect," PM says.
"The modelling shows that COVID-19 arrived in Canada later than other countries so we're at an earlier stage of the outbreak and we have a chance to determine what our country will look like," PM says. "We're a fork in the road between the best and worst possible outcomes."
Trudeau says millions of masks have arrived and ventilators have been ordered. "We've continued to support Canadian researchers working on a vaccine. We're pulling out all the stops to beat this virus and help you through this time."
"I know it's not easy - but it won't last forever," Trudeau says in French. "We will be able to go back and watch a film or go to parks but for now everyone must do their part."
Trudeau says we must maintain social distancing to meet the minimum projections outlined by public health officials this morning.
"There will be other waves until there's a vaccine but those waves will be easier to manage with the knowledge and equipment we have now," he says. "What we're doing today is making a difference and we're hopeful we'll be able to get through this in the shortest amount of time."
Opening up the economy? "When we come through this first wave, as we saw in them modelling, we'll be able to open up the economy to a certain extent and set aside some of those restrictions as we manage the new reality," Trudeau says in French.
Trudeau says the big things we'll be able to improve in the coming weeks is stronger and more sophisticated testing protocol and continuing to develop tools for better contact tracing.
"Even after we're through this first wave we'll need to remain vigilant," Trudeau says. We won't return to normal life until there's a vaccine, he says.
"We will not be able to return to normality, the way it was before, until there's a vaccine and that could take a year or a year and a half," he says in French.
How should Canadians react to all this grim news today? "The real impact is significant and real. What we're also seeing in numbers from different parts of the country is there is a light at the end of this tunnel. We are able to minimize the impact of this wave of COVID-19."
How will you be spending your weekend? "We need to get this legislation moving through the House so we can get the help out to Canadians," Trudeau says. "We are in discussions with the opposition parties. We need to ensure our democracy continues to work," he adds in French.
"We're very open and ready to recall Parliament to pass important legislation," Trudeau says. "We must follow the recommendations of health care experts and not assemble people unless it's absolutely necessary."
"We want to seek ways to work together and keep our strong democracy and our strong institutions working. But we shouldn't be preventing the passage of important legislation because you want to keep talking," Trudeau says in French.
"We are interested in looking for virtual ways to gathering the House and we're going to continue working on that," Trudeau says. He says talk of a virtual Parliament shouldn't delay passing legislation to help Canadians.
"If Mr. Scheer suggested that the debate and discussions had by parliamentarians around a given piece of legislation don't really have an impact - I choose to disagree. It's important we hear from voices from right across the country. That's how Parliament is supposed to work."
What's the hold up in reconvening Parliament? He says the legislation is ready - and the government is open to tweaks. He says the opposition thinks this is a time to determine how Parliament will function in the coming weeks.
Return to normal in a year? "What I'm saying is until there's a vaccine available the reality of COVID-19 will still be with us," PM says. "We will have to vigilant we will have to have measures followed as part of our normal life."
He says there will be a "graduated" return to normal economic activity compared to now. "We will have to be vigilant for a year or a year and a half. There will be things we won't be able to do," he says.
"I know it's difficult what we're doing now. The government is there to help vulnerable Canadians," he says. He says the gov't is concerned about the vulnerability of Indigenous people. "There have been a few cases in some communities and we're looking very seriously at this."
Oil - cooperating with the U.S. in response to Saudi flooding the oil market? "We're working very closely with our counterparts and our NAFTA partners to ensure we have a strong and united front in dealing with this global situation."
SARS led to "significant changes" to the public health system in this country. "We learned from the response to SARS. Similarly, we will learn more things about how to be prepared next time" for another pandemic in the "coming decades."
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