Well it looks like help will be getting to Canadians sooner rather than later. This afternoon, the Senate passed the emergency COVID-19 legislation to get the money Canadians need into their pockets. While it took some negotiations between all federal parties, the help is on it’s way.
I’ll admit it looked like our federal government was about to fail all Canadians by not being able to get the legislation passed. However, it appears that democracy has prevailed and our system of checks and balances has worked. Compromise is apparently Canadian.
Moving forward I am confident that our systems will be able to step up to the challenges that will no doubt arise in the coming months ahead. One thing I am extremely pleased to see is the federal government introducing measures to combine our disparate aid mechanisms into one easy system to facilitate getting money into the economy the quickest route possible.
It’s called the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. Details on it can be found here. At first glance it appears to fulfill what many economists were concerned about. That our EI systems are not equiped to handle the influx of claims that are headed the government’s way. In fact I might go as far as to say its the early beginnings of what appears to be a basic income program.
When compared to our neighbours south of the border I am staggered at the difference in cultures between Canada and the USA. Especially as, believe it or not, there is an actual public debate happening on whether the cost of saving lives out weighs saving human lives. To even weigh the options is staggering to me. I’m being honest when I say, I can’t wrap my head around trying to process such an equation. It says a lot about our neighbours to the south. What’s even more shocking is that President Trump is actually considering it.
The stark contrast between our two countries has never been more prevalent. I’ve said it before and I am sure I will say it many more times again through this crisis, and definitely after it’s over…I am really, really, really glad to be a Canadian.
Joel MacLeod.ca 
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