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Today is a great day for Canada and I am really, really happy to be here to talk with you about it.

From the start, a Team Canada response to the COVID-19 pandemic has not only been desirable. It has been absolutely essential.

Our shared public health goal has been to save the lives of Canadians, to protect the health of Canadians, and to prevent our health care system from being overwhelmed.

Our shared economic goal has been to ensure that no Canadian goes hungry or is made homeless because of the economic slowdown inevitably caused by the health care measures we have taken in response to this global pandemic.

To those first two priorities, today we add a third: the safe restart of our country’s economy so that families in every part of Canada can get back on their feet, in a way that is safe and sustainable for the long term.

And that is why I am so thrilled that we are able to talk to you today about the Safe Restart Agreement that federal government has reached with the provinces and territories.

This is what today’s agreement with the provinces and territories will do:

• Critically, it will provide billions of dollars in support for our towns and cities. We know that if our cities are not equipped for a safe restart, including when it comes to transit, Canada won’t be either.
• It will support the costs of increasing our testing capacity, contact tracing, and gathering public health data.
• It will support the significant demands on provincial and territorial health care systems, including critically, support for mental health, substance abuse, and homelessness.
• This agreement will help our country buy enough PPE for health care workers and other essential workers, and critically, be ready in the event of a second wave.
• We will have added support for people in long-term care homes, home care and palliative care.
• This agreement will address the reduced availability of child care spaces and the unique needs stemming from the pandemic, particularly for women and mothers.
• And it will establish sick leave, where it is not already available across our country, so that every worker can take up to ten days of sick leave if they need it and protect their health and the health of the people around them.

We know the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted our society and our economy and it will continue to do so in ways we cannot yet predict. We know one thing though. We can only meet this huge challenge effectively if we work together as Team Canada. If we set aside our partisan divisions and we all come together to get our country through this. And that is what we have done with the Safe Restart Agreement that we concluded today. I’d like to thank all of the premiers of the provinces and territories and mayors across our country for getting this across the finish line.