Canada to give pay hikes to essential workers, cautions against reopening economies too soon
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Canada and the country’s 10 provinces will boost pay for essential workers such as employees in seniors’ residences, which are linked to 80% of coronavirus deaths, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday.
“If you’re risking your health to keep this country moving and you’re making minimum wage, you deserve a raise,” he told a daily briefing.
The total number of coronavirus-related deaths rose by just over 4% to 4,280 from 4,111 on Wednesday, official data showed, further evidence the outbreak has peaked. The number of positive diagnoses edged up to 63,895 from 62,458.
Quebec, the province hardest hit by the coronavirus, has unveiled plans to gradually restart its economy but on Thursday pushed back for the second time the date when businesses can reopen in Montreal, Canada’s second biggest city.
Trudeau made his announcement a day before Statistics Canada releases unemployment data for April. Analysts say they expect around 4 million people to have lost their jobs after a record 1 million were thrown out of work in March.
Manulife Financial Corp’s chief executive Roy Gori cautioned against reopening economies too soon.
“Subsequent pandemic waves could create greater … devastation than we’ve already seen,” he said.
