The Prime Minister says people who apply for the Canada Emergency Relief Benefit through direct deposit will receive their money in three to five days. Justin Trudeau says people can start to apply online tomorrow. People who chose to get their cheques in the mail will have to wait about 10 days. He assured Canadians that the government’s computer system will be able to handle the “unprecedented” amount of people that will be applying online.
During his daily message, he also said Health Canada is looking for people with specialized skills to sign up to help with tracking data and he says reservists are being offered full-time jobs to bolster the Armed Forces.
He was pressed on the status of the discussions with the United States on the decision of U.S. President Donald Trump to ban the export of N95 masks from Massachusett’s manufacturer 3M. Trudeau says the discussions are ongoing with the American administration but he has yet to speak with Trump, “We understand how important it is for goods to continue to flow over our borders in both directions.”
He also acknowledged farmers during his message thanking them for the work they are doing under difficult circumstances to keep Canadians fed. He said temporary foreign workers who have been hired to work on farms and in the fisheries industry will be allowed into the country but will have to self-isolate for 14 days.