The federal governmentB次元官网网址檚 ongoing review about the good, bad and possibly ugly parts of its response to COVID-19 will feed into plans for an improved response to a potential second wave of the novel coronavirus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.

Speaking outside his Ottawa residence, Trudeau said there are plenty of things that in hindsight the government might have done differently or sooner to respond to the economic fallout from the pandemic.

He didnB次元官网网址檛 go into details about how things could have changed.

Looking ahead, Trudeau said the federal government will be able to respond with sufficient fiscal room if economic lockdowns are required to combat a second wave of COVID-19.

He said the government is planning for a worst-case scenario and hoping for the best.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau is scheduled to provide an updated snapshot of federal finances next week, which will give an idea of how the government sees the rest of the fiscal year playing out, including figures for a potential deficit.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 certainly plenty of things we would have done differently,B次元官网网址� Trudeau said.

B次元官网网址淪ome things we might have done a little sooner. Some things we might have done a little later but we spent very little time analyzing, wishing weB次元官网网址檇 done things differently. Those reflections, of course, are ongoing and will continue to be ongoing so that weB次元官网网址檙e better positioned for a potential second wave and moving forward.B次元官网网址�

Reflecting on one of his most recent announcements, Trudeau defended the governmentB次元官网网址檚 decision to have WE Charity run a $912-million student service grant that pays students who volunteer this summer up to $5,000.

The design of the volunteer grant has also faced heat for replacing paid work with volunteers earning below minimum wage, and rules that may limit the top payments to students with the financial means to volunteer large amounts of their time.

Trudeau said some 25,000 young people from across the country applied for the grant over the past few days, pointing to the need for a large organization with the necessary reach to deliver the program.

B次元官网网址淭he WE organization is the largest national youth service organization in the country,B次元官网网址� Trudeau said.

B次元官网网址淨uite frankly, when our public servants looked at the potential partners,B次元官网网址� he added a moment later, B次元官网网址渙nly the WE organization had the capacity to deliver the ambitious program that young people need for this summer.B次元官网网址�

He also said it wasnB次元官网网址檛 a new idea to give B次元官网网址渂onus grantsB次元官网网址� to young people who volunteer B次元官网网址渢o recognize the value of service.B次元官网网址�

The latest federal figures show direct spending at just over $174 billion, including another increase to the budget for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. That is now expected to cost $80 billion.

As of June 21, the government had paid $52.14 billion in benefits to nearly 8.1 million people B次元官网网址� a revised figure after officials found counting errors that previously showed over 8.4 million unique applicants. Just over half of those people B次元官网网址� nearly 4.1 million B次元官网网址� are workers who exhausted their employment insurance benefits as a result of the pandemic, accounting for nearly $23.7 billion in payments, according to the most recent update the government provided to the House of Commons finance committee.

On top of that are tens of billions more in measures designed to leave money in individualsB次元官网网址� and businessesB次元官网网址� pockets. Income taxes arenB次元官网网址檛 due until the end of the summer, but the Finance Department said Monday that deferrals on remitting sales taxes and customs duty payments wonB次元官网网址檛 last past June 30.

The next day, rent is due.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business, which represents many small- and medium-sized companies across the country, said a survey of its members showed just under one-third of respondents said they couldnB次元官网网址檛 afford rent for July unless the Liberals extended a commercial rent relief program.

As of June 21, the program had doled out $152 million in forgivable loans to landlords that agreed to give a rent break to more than 20,000 tenants.

Trudeau said the government intends to extend the program by another month and is working with provinces on a plan to do it, acknowledging that many business owners continue to struggle with cash flow issues.

Jordan Press, The Canadian Press