The federal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will launch a campaign to create one million jobs as part of its plan to dig the Canadian economy out of the ditch created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
That plan, announced Wednesday in the Throne Speech, includes extending the Canadian Emergency Wage subsidy program until the summer of 2021, spending money on infrastructure and handing out incentives to employers that hire and retrain workers.
The million-jobs promise by the government would return the country to pre-recession levels after the pandemic caused financial devastation even worse than the 2008 financial crisis.
The speech also notes that women have been hit hardest by COVID-19 and promised an “intersectional response to this pandemic and recovery.”
After watching the virus ravage long-term care homes in the spring, the government is also planning several measures for elderly Canadians.
Among those steps, amending the Criminal Code to penalize those who "neglect seniors under their care, putting them in danger." The government will also set national standards for long-care homes and attempt to "help people stay in their homes longer."
