By Caribbean News Global 
OTTAWA, Canada – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has announced the Safe Restart Agreement (a federal investment) of more than $19 billion to help provinces and territories safely restart their economies and make the country more resilient to possible future waves of the virus.
“During this time of uncertainty, the government of Canada is putting Canadians first by working together with our provincial and territorial partners to lay the groundwork to keep our communities strong and healthy and ensure the economy is resilient,” the prime minister of Canada said in a press announcement. “With Canadians doing their part and following public health guidelines, we are able to gradually and safely restart our economy. As we continue to deal with the impacts of the virus, we are committed to working with the provinces and territories to provide the support they need to help Canadians make it through this crisis. Together, our priority is to keep Canadians safe and healthy, while building a stronger, more resilient Canada for everyone,” the prime minister said.
This investment will help address the key priorities, agreed upon by Canada’s first ministers, for the safe restart of Canada’s economy over the next six to eight months. It will support measures to increase testing and contact tracing of the virus to protect Canadians from a future outbreak and support the capacity of our health care systems, including services for people facing mental health challenges. It will also assist with the procurement of personal protective equipment to help our essential workers, and in protecting the most vulnerable, like our seniors.
The agreement will also help get funding quickly to municipalities so they can deliver essential services that Canadians rely on every day, like public transit. In addition, it includes actions to help Canadian workers during this challenging time, such as ensuring the availability of safe child care to help parents returning to work and providing income support for people who do not have paid sick leave so all Canadians can stay healthy.
“The investments announced [July 16] will help ensure a safe restart of our economy over the next six to eight months. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have worked collaboratively with provinces and territories to keep Canadians safe and support the economy, and that is exactly what we will continue to do through a Team Canada approach,” Chrystia Freeland, deputy prime minister of Canada.
