Nick Taylor  Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to former Senator Nick Taylor, who passed away at the age of 92. I first met Nick Taylor when he was leader of the Alberta Liberal Party, which he led from 1974 to 1988. He was a senator from 1996 to 2002. He was also a successful entrepreneur and innovator in the oil and gas sector, where he was always pushing, even into his later years, to make the industry more environmentally sustainable.

Dave Smith  Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I pay tribute to Ottawa restauranteur and philanthropist Dave Smith, who passed away on September 4. Dave opened Nate's Deli in 1959 and transformed it into an iconic Ottawa institution. Through his dedication serving on 50 boards of directors, from the snowsuit fund to the military families fund, he raised over $150 million for charities over his lifetime.

Government Business No. 9  Madam Chair, this is exactly why we have flexibility built into Bill C-20. The 30% drop in revenue requirement has been removed so businesses can have that kind of flexibility to rebuild. In my riding specifically, companies are already opening because of that. They will have the flexibility to continue to get supports gradually as—

Government Business No. 9  Madam Chair, we know this pandemic is unpredictable. When we left this place in March, many of us thought we would be back in three weeks or four weeks. We have to ensure that our programs are adapting and that we are listening to Canadians. I can assure Canadians that we are not going to leave people in the lurch.

Government Business No. 9  Madam Chair, my hon. colleague's incredibly important question is one that almost all Canadians are now starting to ask themselves. That is precisely why we have the wage subsidy. The changes we made with Bill C-20 are specifically to ensure that as businesses are starting to reopen, maybe not fully, the connection between the worker and the employer is kept and those businesses can gradually—

Government Business No. 9  Thank you, Madam Chair. It is important to remember that three million people are benefiting from the wage subsidy. As we go forward, businesses need that flexibility to keep people on the payroll and open, if possible, while considering public health. We do not know how this pandemic will evolve.

Government Business No. 9  Madam Chair, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for both of those questions. On the issue of paying back, we have taken on these programs as a government so that individual families do not face the crushing kind of debt they would have faced if they did not have these programs.

Government Business No. 9  Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for her very important question. In my riding, business owners are constantly calling to ask about this. It may not be about the wage subsidy, but there are other programs. There are the loans we are providing to businesses: the $40,000 loans, of which $10,000 can be given back to the business.

Government Business No. 9  Madam Chair, it is a pleasure to be here today to speak about our government's response during the COVID-19 pandemic and how we are working to support the reopening of the economy, including the steps we took right here this week to move forward with a redesigned Canada emergency wage subsidy.

Government Business No. 9  Madam Chair, I would like to thank the member for Edmonton Strathcona, with whom we just spent two days on the Subcommittee on International Human Rights, as well as doing some incredibly important work on the Uighurs. I can see the member's commitment to her constituents and to making sure that people who are falling through the cracks are getting the support they need.

Government Business No. 9  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for talking about how we can try to safely resume our activities as parliamentarians and at the same time ensure we do not become vectors for spreading the virus. As an Ottawa MP, I am very concerned when it comes to members from 338 parts of the country travelling by airplane to Ottawa, possibly staying in hotels and going to restaurants.

Government Business No. 9  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague and friend from Kanata—Carleton for a speech that really outlines what is happening and what we are doing for the most marginalized and most vulnerable here in our country. We know that the COVID-19 pandemic is laying bare those people who are most invisible, most voiceless and those who are the most neglected in our society.

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, I would first like to echo the hon. minister's comment about hard-working public servants. The National Capital Commission plays a vital role in preserving our heritage, conserving our green spaces and building a vision of a national capital region that all Canadians can be proud of.

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, the minister mentioned that the Treasury Board is seeking $9.3 million to continue the operations of the Canadian Digital Service. Could the minister expand on the role of the Canadian Digital Service in making the Government of Canada a leader in digital innovation?

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, the minister mentioned in his speech that Canadians want maximum transparency from Parliament. I think we all agree that openness and transparency are always important, but even more so during this challenging time caused by COVID-19. How has the minister ensured transparency for Canadians and parliamentarians throughout the supply process?