Economic impact of COVID-19 requires large scale recovery plan

HALIFAX -- Following the federal government’s economic update yesterday, the Nova Scotia NDP is renewing its call for the McNeil government to create an economic task force. The group would be responsible for developing a recovery plan for Nova Scotia’s economy in the wake of COVID-19.

“Allowing businesses to reopen is not the same as planning for a full-scale economic recovery,” said Claudia Chender, NDP Finance spokesperson. “We can see from the update at the federal level that the scale of impact on our economy is larger than anything we’ve experienced since the Great Depression. We need a concerted effort from our provincial government to collaborate with the public, business and community leaders on what kind of economy we want to build on the other side of this moment in history.”

BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and PEI have all created formal committees to suggest supports and plans to guide those provinces through the recovery.

“Government intervention during the first wave of the pandemic has been absolutely necessary to stabilize people’s economic realities. We need a similar intervention to ensure our communities and economies can recover from this monumental global event,” said NDP Leader Gary Burrill. “Despite the need, we’ve heard nothing from the McNeil government about an overarching plan to stimulate our economy in the coming months and years. We have the capacity to make investments now that will strengthen our economy, address climate change, and create a healthier province, but none of that can happen without leadership from the government.”

The NDP is suggesting a task force made up of representatives from a diverse group of industries, labour unions, environmental organizations, non-profits, African Nova Scotian communities, Mi’kmaq communities, municipalities, and colleges and universities, as well as education and early childhood development experts, economic experts, and MLAs from all three parties.

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