Throne speech answers growing pandemic fears

Canada’s pandemic prognosis looked so much brighter when Justin Trudeau shut down Parliament just five weeks ago.

In mid-august the country seemingly had the coronavirus on the run as the number of new daily cases plunged to some of their lowest levels since midmarch. To provide even more sunshine, the economy had boomeranged as more businesses reopened and more workers were back on the job.

But by the time Gov. Gen. Julie Payette delivered the government’s throne speech on Wednesday, that summery optimism had evaporated, with much of the country swamped by the pandemic’s second wave and the prospect of new lockdowns and economic turmoil looming large once again.

It is this sea-change in the nation’s fortunes that made this throne speech so timely and, in its contents, so essential. Prime Minister Trudeau needed to press the reset button on his government’s handling of this unprecedented public health and economic emergency. The throne speech accomplished this with an agenda the country can — and should — endorse.

The high point of the speech comes in its economic action plan which should provide the moral and tangible reassurances Canadians will need in the trying months ahead. The decision to extend the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, which helps employers cover labour costs, deserves the applause it’s received from business and labour groups.

As previously announced, more generous Employment Insurance support will replace the Canada Emergency Relief Benefit. But there will also be well-deserved new assistance for people who traditionally don’t qualify for E.I., for people who are sick, who act as unpaid caregivers and for businesses forced to shut by local public health authorities.

Fully aware the lack of affordable daycare is making it harder for many parents — and by far the majority of these are women — to return to work, the throne speech commits Ottawa to a Canada-wide child care system. The need for government-backed child care has never been so obvious, though whether the federal government can deliver remains an open question.

Ironically, the throne speech is less convincing when it comes to providing new weapons to fight COVID-19. The Liberals offer only vague plans for doing this, including boosting testing capabilities, something they promised back in March. Perhaps the specifics on this will come in a few days, but as of now the Liberals don’t appear to be responding with quite the sense of urgency the situation demands.

Likewise, while Canadians can welcome the renewed commitment to fighting climate change as part of its economic recovery plan, they have a right to be disappointed that the throne speech mainly regurgitated promises from last year’s election.

That said, Trudeau deserves to be cut a little slack. Throne speeches set out Canada’s future viewed from 5,000 metres, not treetop level. The true value of this new agenda will only be realized in its execution. Of course, the cost of the Liberals’ new plan needs to be revealed, and this should come in a fall mini-budget not a fiscal update. But the darts the opposition Conservatives and Bloc Québécois are firing at the throne speech seem motivated more by petty partisan politics than legitimate policy disagreements.

They know this throne speech offers no excuse for a fall general election. They should also know the best way for Canadians to move forward is to do it together. The throne speech is a map to take us out of this pandemic turmoil. Our politicians should be our guides.