Safe Restart Agreement

In order to best help Canadians if a further outbreak of the virus occurs, investments in testing, contact tracing, and public health data management are needed. The Government of Canada has provided $4.28 billion to support provinces and territories with the costs of increasing their capacity to conduct testing, perform contact tracing, and share public health data that will help fight the pandemic. The goal is to ensure provinces and territories have the capacity to test up to 200,000 people per day, nationwide. Funding and support has also been provided to improve and modernize data management across Canada, to help governments coordinate their efforts to contain the virus.

View the current capacity data for each province and territory and how it compares to the SRA’s capacity targets.

To date, the Government of Canada has purchased nearly 40 million COVID-19 rapid tests, which are being distributed and deployed to provinces and territories.

Learn more about the progress made by provinces and territories on testing capacity, contact tracing and exposure notification, and data management.

Canadians rely on our health care services and mental health supports every day. COVID-19 has placed significant demands on our health care systems, and placed additional strain on our mental health care. The Government of Canada will provide $700 million to support health care system capacity to respond to a potential future surge in cases of COVID-19. The Government of Canada will also provide $500 million to address immediate needs and gaps in the support and protection of people experiencing challenges related to mental health, substance use, or homelessness. The government is committed to keeping Canadians safe and healthy and providing the health care support needed during these difficult times.

Canadians receiving long-term care, home care, and palliative care are at an increased risk of more severe cases of COVID-19. As the economy restarts, it is important to have continued protections and supports in place for seniors, and provide health and social supports to other vulnerable populations. The Government of Canada will provide $740 million to support one-time costs over the next six to eight months for measures to control and prevent infections. This could include addressing staffing issues in long-term care, home care, and palliative care facilities and services. Funding can also be used to support other vulnerable populations.

Municipalities are on the front lines of a safe restart of the economy and will need to put in place appropriate precautions to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and manage public spaces and critical services, like public transit. The Government of Canada will contribute up to $2 billion to support municipalities with COVID-19 operating costs for the next six to eight months. Provincial and territorial governments will continue to support municipalities, and will cost-match federal supports with investments made this fiscal year. In addition, the Government of Canada will also cost-match more than $2.3 billion to support any additional provincial/territorial contributions for public transit.

Keeping Canada’s health care workers safe and healthy is a top priority, and COVID-19 has added significant pressure to ensure that there is enough supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) for these and other essential workers. The Government of Canada and provinces and territories have made significant investments in this area. To support the restart of the economy, the Government of Canada will commit $4.5 billion to purchase PPE for national use and commit $3 billion to provinces and territories for PPE investments. To facilitate future procurement, provinces and territories will share PPE-related data with the Government of Canada on a regular basis.

So parents can know that their children are safe as they gradually return to the workplace, the Government of Canada is working with provinces and territories to ensure sufficient child care is available during this challenging time. The Government of Canada will provide $625 million to address the reduced availability of child care spaces and the unique needs stemming from the pandemic.

To safely restart the economy, Canada must ensure that workers do not return to work if they have COVID-19 or are showing symptoms. To encourage workers to remain at home and seek public health advice if they are showing symptoms, the Government of Canada will fund a new temporary income support program, at an estimated cost of $1.1 billion. The new program will support workers who do not already have access to other paid sick leave. Where not already available, provinces and territories will establish job-protected sick leave, through regulation or legislation, that allows workers to take up to 10 days of leave related to COVID-19.

Learn more about COVID-19 benefits and services, including the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit, which provides up to two weeks of support if you are sick or must self-isolate due to COVID-19, or have an underlying condition that makes you more susceptible to COVID-19.