Hello everyone.

Students are usually eager for May to come.

Classes have ended, and you only have a couple of exams left. You’re looking forward to starting your summer job and spending more time with your friends.

But not this year.

The pandemic is creating a lot of uncertainty and instability for everyone, including young people.

Students who are about to graduate could not take advantage of their last semester as they had hoped.

And now, they’re having trouble entering the labour market.

Students who are still in school face similar hurdles. Work placements have been cancelled and summer jobs have become exceedingly rare.

Many of you are wondering not just what you’re going to do for the next few months, but how you’ll pay your tuition next year.

So, last week, we unveiled a $9 billion plan to help you get through this crisis.

First, we announced the Canada Emergency Student Benefit, which will give students $1,250 a month throughout the summer.

And if you have a disability or are taking care of a dependent, you’ll receive more.

At the same time, we are investing to create an additional 76,000 jobs for students in sectors that need help or are actively contributing to the fight against COVID-19.

These jobs are in addition to those offered under the Canada Summer Jobs program.

If you can’t find a job this summer, but want to contribute in the fight against COVID-19, we’re going to make sure you have support, too.

Students helping in the fight against COVID-19 this summer will soon be eligible for $1,000 to $5,000 through the new Canada Student Service Grant for volunteer hours.

We’re also going to be providing specific support for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Nation students.

For graduate students and those conducting research, we’re going to extend scholarships, fellowships, and grants so your work can continue.

And, we’re doubling student grants for low and middle income students for 2020/2021.

Taken together, our government has a $9 billion plan to help students and recent grads get through the next few months.

Since we introduced this plan, we’ve been working with the opposition parties on legislation that will get this help to young people as quickly as possible.

I’ll be heading to Parliament shortly, where we will introduce a bill to put the Canada Emergency Student Benefit in place.

The pandemic has been hard on everyone and that’s why our government is stepping up to support you.

To help parents who’ve got their hands full these days, our government will be boosting the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) payment in May.

When schools closed, parents became teachers, restaurant owners, music teachers, and so much more.

Isolation has been hard on families, and that is why we are boosting the CCB. 

And to help lower income Canadians, we supplemented the GST Credit.

I also want to remind everyone that this year, if you owe income tax, you have until August to make your payment.

Yesterday, Minister Hajdu and Dr. Tam provided an update on our latest modelling.

And the good news is that Canadians are stepping up to keep each other safe.

In fact, in many parts of the country, the curve has flattened, so we have to keep it up.

We’re seeing some progress because people from coast to coast to coast are making sacrifices and following public health rules.

So let’s stick to it.

Let’s stay home, wash our hands, and when we go out, let’s stay two metres away from others.

Starting this weekend in Nova Scotia, the Canadian Forces Snowbirds will head across Canada to salute Canadians doing their part to stop the spread of COVID-19.

As we watch the Snowbirds fly over our homes, let’s remember that we are all in this together.