My hope/mild-expectation for Trudeau's financial package press conference tomorrow:
- unenforceable requirement that everyone must stay home except to get food, medicine, necessary supplies
- all offices/churches/gyms/etc. with more than 5 people must close. Everyone (except essential services including grocery and pharmacy) encouraged to close, if more than 1.
- no gatherings of more than 10 people (current recommendation: 50)
- all restaurants, bars, coffee shops, etc., must do delivery/pickup only; can’t have more than 10 people working
- fed tax deadline pushed back to June 1 (filing) + July 31 (payment) (Quebec already did this)
- shortened EI timeline, waiver of waiting period, special circumstances to allow easier qualification, added resources to administer this
- mortgage holiday until May 1
- immediate stimulus cheques going out; maybe up to $1000 (everyone); treated as a tax credit
- federal corporate tax cut for small business, more coming from provinces
- increase in federal personal tax exemption for 2020, more coming from provinces
- schools closed until April 15 or later, might have to go longer (they might hold onto this one to reduce panic)
- hospitals, doctors, vets, etc. closed for anything that can wait
- a not-so-gentle reminder that if we can’t do this voluntarily, the Emergency Measures Act will make it compulsory (and they’ll deal with the Charter implications when we’re not all dead). Maybe even with some numbers.
- border closing to all non-Canadians by Sunday night
- (closed earlier than expected, announced before the financial package release)
This list was written on Tuesday March 17th, published Wednesday March 18th (before the financial package press conference).
I'd be very surprised at the immediate stimulus cheques to individuals right now, as I would be for the mortgage holiday.
Everything else seems like it's in line with what I'm expecting, though.