Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says this isn’t a time for tightening the belt.
In a press conference Wednesday morning, Trudeau said when the COVID-19 pandemic began his government had two choices, either act quickly or let Canadians figure it for themselves and hope for the best.
He says they chose to act quickly and did things like increasing financial supports for seniors and students, offering loans to companies, and supporting those who lost their jobs.
His government spent so Canadians wouldn’t have to take on more debt, Trudeau says, and four months later the country has slowed the spread of the virus and certain sectors of the economy can reopen.
Canadians will find out more about the cost of the COVID-19 pandemic during a fiscal ‘snapshot’ Wednesday afternoon.