(Ottawa) The Senate quickly approved a new round of pandemic aid on Thursday, after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland appealed before Christmas for the aid to be approved and pledged the benefits would be paid quickly to businesses and workers in need.
Bill C-2 provides targeted assistance for businesses that have been ordered to close their doors and workers who have had to be sent home due to lockdown, as well as wage subsidies and rent subsidies for those who are still recovering from the restrictions imposed by previous lockdowns.
Mme Freeland explained to senators that the government has put these measures in place in case there is another wave of COVID-19, and argued that they are even more necessary with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
BLAIR GABLE PHOTO, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland
Just before Mme Freeland did not appear in the Senate by videoconference, the House of Commons voted in favor of the bill being passed quickly by the upper house. It was one of the last steps before MPs leave the nation’s capital on vacation until the end of January.
It is not unusual for the House of Commons to send bills to the Senate after Members have gone on vacation, and for the Upper House to sit longer in order to deal with any pending legislation.
But Senator Scott Tannas told Mme Freeland that this happens too often for his liking and limits the ability of the Senate to consider bills as it should.
The government is hoping the Senate will pass a second bill sent to senators late Thursday, C-3, before taking the recess on Friday.
Senator Tannas asked Mme Freeland to persuade the government to “plan a little better, so that we don’t get cornered,” adding a moment later: “We know it’s difficult, but that’s – we’re tired of it.” .
The interaction took place during the 90 minutes of questions to which Mr.me Freeland was faced Thursday evening seeking final parliamentary approval on the new round of worker and business aid which the government said will cost $ 7.4 billion.
According to Bill C-2, lockdown occurs when a health authority orders the closure of non-essential businesses and non-essential workers stay at home. Mme Freeland said parts of the country could be affected.
Although she did not set a specific deadline for the payment of benefits, she said the government plans to use existing systems for claims and payments to distribute aid quickly.
“The situation is changing rapidly on the ground as we see the provinces and territories responding in a very appropriate manner, let me say, to COVID and Omicron, and putting new restrictions in place,” a- she clarified.
Bill C-3 – which provides 10 days of paid sick leave for federally regulated workers and aims to tackle harassment and intimidation of healthcare workers – was also fast-tracked Thursday by the House of Commons, without a recorded vote, and sent to the Senate.
Bill C-3 passed with several amendments, one of which incorporated a Conservative private member’s bill providing extended, unpaid bereavement leave for parents experiencing birth or death. of a child.
Two other amendments were intended to address concerns that workers would only slowly accumulate their right to paid sick leave, at the rate of one day per working month, and an employer could require a doctor’s note to validate the days. sick leave.
As amended, the bill now proposes that workers accumulate three days of paid sick leave after one month and, after two months, begin to accumulate one additional sick day per month up to a maximum of 10 days a year. Employers could still request a medical certificate, but only when a worker requests more than five consecutive sick days.
Government House of Commons Leader Mark Holland praised the opposition parties for being “unbelievably reasonable” and willing to work together to get all of the Liberal priority bills passed quickly in the Commons. , less than four weeks after the start of the new parliamentary session.
A third bill, banning the practice of conversion therapy, was approved by both parliamentary houses earlier this month and has already received Royal Assent.