By Chris Brown

Update from the PM

PM: The measures we’ve taken so far are working

Apr 28, 2020 | 9:20 AM

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government will provide more information today on how public health officials are using data and modelling to inform action on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu and Canada’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Teresa Tam will give an update on the modelling done so far, but Trudeau said the bottom line is this:

“The measures we’ve taken so far are working. In many parts of the country the curve has flattened but we’re not out of the woods yet,” he said, adding that if measures are lifted too quickly we will lose all the progress we’ve made.

In his daily address from outside Rideau Cottage, the prime minister said “shared principles on restarting the economy” that have been agreed to by federal, provincial and territorial governments will be released soon.

“To re-open the economy there must be enough capacity to test and trace COVID-19 to stop the spread,” he said. “At work, there will also need to be specific measures and more equipment to keep you safe.”

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Trudeau didn’t rule out the possibility of Canadian Armed Forces being deployed to Alberta in light of the COVID-19 outbreaks at meat processing facilities in Brooks and High River and the flooding in Fort McMurray.

He said the government stands ready to help in any way it can military support will be available if a request is made by the province.

Earlier Trudeau told the people of Fort McMurray that the federal government is there for them.

“We stand ready to help,” he said, and thanked all of those who who have already stepped up.

There have been reports about some businesses not using the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy to rehire laid-off employees, preferring they stay on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit . The reason being that it is costing them more because of holiday payouts that have already been made.

Responding to a question about that Trudeau said, “Ideally, people will keep their connections with their workplaces so they know they’ll have a job to return to when the economy comes back – it will be all the quicker for people to return to their jobs.”

As the economy opens, the need for personal protective equipment will become more pronounced, the PM said. The provinces and territories will start to see an additional six million surgical masks this week and 100,000 face shields will be sent out soon.

On testing, Trudeau said a new daily high for the country was reached yesterday and that ultimately how exactly that moves forward is up to the provinces.

“The important thing is to allow the provinces to do the level of testing that is necessary in each region and each community to respond to needs and conditions on the ground.”

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is expected to press the prime minister for specifics on how the government has handled the pandemic.

Today will be the first meeting of a special committee struck to somewhat mirror the routine of the House of Commons.

All 338 MPs are on the committee, but only seven are required for quorum, as opposed to the 20 for a normal sitting.

As of Tuesday morning, Canada had 49,014 confirmed cases, 11 probable cases and 2,766 deaths. There have been 740,859 Canadians tested.

In Alberta, there are 4,696 cases and 75 deaths. A total of 128,860 Albertans have been tested.