Canada's NDP

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March 16th, 2020

NDP Statement in Response to the Prime Minister’s Update on COVID-19

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh made the following statement:

"We are in the midst of the most serious public health crisis of the last century. Workers and their families need help to do the right thing for our collective public health. Canadians need to know that their federal government has their back.

All Canadians - workers, small business owners, parents of kids whose schools are closed - need their government to deliver on a plan to help them now.

Canadians also need to know that the government is taking steps based on evidence. The Liberal government’s decision to exclude American tourists from the travel ban doesn’t make any scientific sense. The U.S. shares our only land border, 70% of tourists coming to Canada are American and the public health situation in the U.S. is worse than at home.

Given the worsening public health situation in the U.S., the Liberal government needs to present solid public health evidence for leaving the U.S. out of the border closure.

The Prime Minister’s repeated promises that help is coming some day is not helping families, workers and small business owners pay their bills. The Liberal government must provide direct assistance to families and to workers.

People staying home from work today needed to hear that their Prime Minister has their back. They can’t afford to wait."