Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced more help for parents. Trudeau said the Canada Child Benefit for May will have an extra $300 per child. That means for families with two kids that means an extra $600 and for three kids an extra $900 and so on. In his children’s message, he thanked kids for all their help around the house with parents and sticking together through this difficult time.
He also said he knows Canadians may be feeling overwhelmed so the government is investing over $240 million to bring healthcare online. The federal government will be expanding existing online tools to create new virtual platforms for mental health and for primary care.
Trudeau says the government will also be investing over $175 million to support Canadian company Abcellera for their research in identifying antibodies that could be used in drugs to treat the virus. This new funding will support human trials beginning as early as July, but he says until we have effective treatments or a vaccine we still need a reliable supply of everything from masks to ventilators. Trudeau said the Minister of Public Service and Procurement will be announcing later today details of a new COVID-19 Supply Council.
The council will be tasked with finding innovative solutions to ensure the country continues to have the vital supplies necessary to keep Canadians safe.