Mr. James Cumming: How many dollars are left in the program so businesses can have some certainty that the program will be available for some time?
Hon. Mary Ng: I think you will see that the businesses across the country that I have talked to really appreciate that the government has stepped up to help them during this difficult time. These include women with businesses, indigenous-owned businesses and those small businesses all across our communities, all across the country, that are getting the necessary help. We are going to keep
The Acting Chair (Mr. Bruce Stanton): We'll go back to Mr. Cumming.
Mr. James Cumming: How many dollars? It can't be that complicated. How many dollars?
Hon. Mary Ng: There are 630,000 businesses that are getting help, and thousands more businesses will be getting help with the expanded criteria. We're going to keep doing the work that we need to help our businesses across this country through this difficult time.
Mr. James Cumming: I heard from a constituent in my riding that they waited for over four hours on the portal for CECRA. Is there an issue with the portal, and if so, when will it be fixed?
Hon. Mary Ng: Making sure that businesses get the help for commercial rent support is absolutely crucial right now. We are going to endeavour to make sure that this help gets out to those small businesses. Applications have opened in a staggered way and
The Acting Chair (Mr. Bruce Stanton): You have time for one last short question, Mr. Cumming.
Mr. James Cumming: Finally, the Prime Minister yesterday said that a list of all organizations that have been receiving CEWS will be made public. When will that be done?
Hon. Mary Ng: We have committed to making sure that those companies taking the wage subsidy program will be listed publicly. We have committed to doing that and we will do so.
The Acting Chair (Mr. Bruce Stanton): We now go to Mr. d'Entremont from West Nova. Mr. d'Entremont, go ahead.
Mr. Chris d'Entremont (West Nova, CPC): Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I have a question for the Minister of Fisheries, but I thought I would say this first. The Canadian Coast Guard is doing a search at this moment following the loss of a vessel off the coast of Newfoundland. From my community, which is a seafaring, fishing community, I just want to put my thoughts out there to the folks of Newfoundland. We are definitely thinking of them during this difficult time. My first question revolves around the lobster fishery. It's been open in Cape Breton since May 15, I believe. The weather has been good. The harvesters have been going at it every day. The price has dropped to $4.25 already. Unstable markets will probably cause it to drop even more. What is the minister doing to make sure the lobster industry survives?
Hon. Bernadette Jordan (Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard) : Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to thank my colleague for his comments with regard to the tragic accident off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, where we saw the loss of life in a fishing accident. Of course, as coastal people, we are all in solidarity with the people of Newfoundland right now. We know that the fish and seafood sector has taken extreme hits because of COVID-19. We're working diligently to make sure we support the industry as best we can. We have made available over half a billion dollars to processors and harvesters to make sure they can weather this storm. We have made sure that the harvesters are able to access the harvester benefit as well as the grant, recognizing the unique nature of their business and how they are not able to access some of our other programs. We are continuing to monitor what is happening in the industry. We will continue to make sure we do everything we can to support the fish and seafood sector.
Mr. Chris d'Entremont: Mr. Chair, to continue along this vein for a moment, we are still looking at unstable markets for a longer period of time. At this point, processors are being selective in what they're buying. They're not buying culls and other kinds of lobsters. The plants are filling up, and harvesters are worried that they might stop buying product before the season is complete. What can the fishermen expect, or what kinds of programs can they expect, if the season goes bust?
Hon. Bernadette Jordan: Mr. Chair, we know that this is a very challenging season for our harvesters. We also know that because of the decline in markets, we've had to make accommodations for the processing sector in order to help them be better able to support the harvesters. We have put in $62.5 million, which is allowing the processors to increase capacity in their refrigeration and freezers so that they will continue to be able to purchase product. As I said earlier, we will continue to monitor the situation and make sure we do everything possible to support our harvesters. This is a very difficult
The Acting Chair (Mr. Bruce Stanton): We'll go back to Mr. d'Entremont.
Mr. Chris d'Entremont: Mr. Chair, I don't know whether this next question will go to the Minister of DFO or the Minister of Transport. Oakley Ryerson is a resident of West Nova. He is planning a career on the sea and wants to get his master class four. The problem is that he can't pass the eye exam. He needs full-colour vision. For those who are far-sighted or nearsighted, you just have to put on your glasses to correct it. You can actually fly airplanes. I don't know about space shuttles, but who knows? You can now wear colour-corrected lenses, but Transport Canada still does not recognize these for use. Can the Minister of Transport help Ryerson in attaining his chosen profession?
Hon. Marc Garneau (Minister of Transport): Mr. Chair, I appreciate the concern of my colleague for one of the residents in his riding. I would ask him to write to me and lay out the situation. We have medical standards with respect to a number of different kinds of transportation-related jobs for pilots, mariners and those kinds of occupations, which have to be respected. However, if he sends me the details, I will look into it personally.
The Acting Chair (Mr. Bruce Stanton): Mr. d'Entremont, you have another 20 to 25 seconds left.
Mr. Chris d'Entremont: Mr.Chair, the eligibility criteria for financial support include the need to demonstrate a significant loss of income during the months of March and April, yet several SMEs in the tourism industry can't qualify because their operations start with the tourist season, in late May or early June. What will the government do to help them?
Hon. Bill Morneau: Mr.Chair, before accessing the emergency wage subsidy, applicants must meet important criteria. However, as we explained last week, we will be adjusting the wage subsidy until the end of August, and we will be reviewing the criteria.