Hello everyone.

Today I’m at Big Rig Brewery with brew master Lon Ladell, and the MP for Kanata-Carleton, Karen McCrimmon.

Last time I was here at Big Rig was with President Obama, so I’m glad to be back.

Now, when the pandemic first started, Big Rig took a real hit.

They had to close their doors and let go almost all of their staff.

Eventually, Lon was able to start hiring back some of his team, and they wasted no time in adapting to the new normal.

They set up an online shop and, with the help of Shopify, started making home deliveries.

But Lon and his team wanted to do more for their community and for our frontline workers.

So, they started making hand sanitizer for local community organizations that do really important work, like the Kanata Food Bank, Shepherds of Good Hope, and Chrysalis House.

To keep up with a growing demand for hand sanitizer, food, and beer, Big Rig used the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy to hire back almost all their members of staff.

And to save money on rent, they also used the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance.

Big Rig is one of the thousands of companies across the country stepping up to help their workers and their community during this tough time.

Programs like the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance are there to help them get back on their feet.

We also launched the Canada Emergency Business Account to help small businesses get a loan to bridge to better times.

And we recently expanded the eligibility for this program to include even more small businesses, like farmers. As of today, this expanded CEBA will be available through the major banks.

We’re actively working with other lenders, including credit unions, to make sure small businesses have access to the help they need.

As we move into the summer, Canadians can keep counting on our support.

As we begin a new phase of the crisis, all levels of government are working together to ensure that Canadians can return to work safely.

Last night, the premiers, the Deputy Prime Minister, and I held our 15th weekly call.

We notably discussed our government’s proposal to provide $14 billion to meet the most urgent needs in the coming months.

This money could be used to ensure children’s safety at daycare, to accelerate contact tracing research, or to buy more personal protective equipment.

As we begin reopening the economy, we must ensure that Canadians have everything they need to protect their health and their family’s health.

The premiers and I also talked about the border restrictions and the need for caution as we head into summer.

COVID-19 is still a health threat.

That’s why our government will continue working closely with the provinces and territories to support people through this difficult time.

I would now like to give you an update on the Canadian Armed Forces presence in Quebec and Ontario.

This morning, I want to take a moment to thank our Canadian Armed Forces for stepping up once again in our time of need.

Since April, our women and men in uniform have done great work to help stabilize the situation in long-term care facilities.

As of today, our members remain active in one facility in Ontario, and we anticipate that they’ll be ready to leave in the coming days, once the situation is stable.

In Quebec, the members of our Armed Forces have done a remarkable job since they started their mission on April 20.

Our troops have helped to stabilize things in a total of 47 residences and I want to take a moment to thank them for their help.

But their mission isn’t over.

They will be stabilizing another four residences in the coming days.

Overall, the situation in long-term care facilities has improved greatly. The needs are not the same as they were two months ago.

That is why, over the past few weeks, we have worked with Quebec to develop a transition plan that will allow us to transfer ongoing operations from military personnel to civilian personnel.

And today, we can announce that the Canadian Red Cross will lend a hand until September 15.

A few weeks ago, our government provided the Red Cross with $100 million, which will allow it to provide 900 people who are ready to serve in long-term care facilities.

The first group of 150 people will be deployed by July 6 and 750 more people will start work by July 29.

The arrival of the Red Cross will allow our Armed Forces members to return to their regular duties and to be prepared for any eventuality.

We will still be maintaining teams that are ready to quickly intervene in case of emergency until September 15.

Canadians can always count on our support.

I’d like to end today by recognizing that this is a weekend when many of us would be heading to a Pride celebration.

Pride is a chance to celebrate who we are, and take stock not only of how far we’ve come as a society, but how far we still have to go.

Because there’s still so much more work to be done to ensure greater rights, protections, and inclusion for all LGBTQ2 people.

I know that many of you are disappointed that you can’t get together this year, but I hope that you still all get to celebrate in your own way.

And to the kids out there who are worried about not being accepted for who they are: I want you to know that we’re here for you, we support you, and that we will always stand by you.

To the young people listening out there who are afraid of never being accepted for who they are: we are here for you, we support you, and we will always stand with you.

Thank you.