The federal government will present a fiscal snapshot on July 8th. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement today. Trudeau did not call it a fiscal update but an economic and fiscal snapshot. A federal budget was to be presented in March but the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled that plan. Trudeau says the snapshot will provide a portrait of where we are right now and how Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic compares to other countries. Trudeau says the snapshot will allow Canadians to see “the scale and details of the measures that have been rolled out.”
The Conservatives have withheld support for the latest emergency legislation until a fiscal update was presented and regular sittings of Parliament resume. Trudeau had previously said a fiscal update was impossible at this time because the number of unknowns makes meaningful forecasting impossible.
Also today Trudeau announced additional funding through two new programs for the fisheries and seafood industries. He also announced $500-million in funding for Canadian researchers.
He ended his briefing by announcing that Parks Canada will begin to gradually reopen sites for camping on Monday, June 22nd.