Aside from commenting on Canada's bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced funding to help fisheries, an economic snapshot next month, and plans to reopen campgrounds at national parks.
Starting Monday, Parks Canada will begin to gradually reopen campgrounds, which have been closed since mid-March. Parks Canada only began reopening national parks, national historic sites, and marine conservation areas on June 1. So far, vehicles are allowed into the parks, and some parking lots are open, along with some trails and greenspaces.
Details on financial help for Canada's fish and seafood producers were in short supply during the federal government's daily briefing on Wednesday, but Trudeau said applications for two programs would open over the next week.
Applications for the Canadian Fish and Seafood Opportunities Fund open Wednesday. It will provide producers with money to access new markets and sell products internationally.
On Monday, applications open for the Canadian Seafood Stabilization Fund. Under that program, fisheries can get money to buy personal protective equipment for workers and buy freezers to keep products good while producers find buyers.
Trudeau has resisted calls from opposition leaders for an economic and fiscal update during the pandemic, but on Wednesday, he relented to a degree.
"I've consistently said that an economic and fiscal update would be unrealistic right now because it automatically includes projections for a year, three years, five years ahead of time which, quite frankly, we couldn't responsibly make any predictions about," explained Trudeau.
However, since the beginning of the pandemic, he told reporters his government has been giving the Finance Committee and MPs updates on measures taken every two weeks.
Instead of a traditional economic update, Finance Minister Bill Morneau will present an economic and fiscal "snapshot" in the House of Commons on July 8.
"This will give Canadians a picture of where our economy is right now, how our response compares to that of other countries, and what we can expect in the months to come," said Trudeau.
Trudeau also announced researchers would benefit from another $500 million each year in discovery research grants.
