Michelle Rempel, the MP for Calgary Nose Hill, said she had “strong thoughts” on where the Conservative campaign went wrong. Rachel Emmanuel/iPolitics

The federal Conservatives are calling on the Trudeau government to provide greater clarity on when the economy can begin reopening from the COVID-19-induced lockdown.

Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner pressed Small Business Minister Mary Ng during Thursday’s teleconference meeting of the House industry committee for timelines on lifting the mass isolation orders that have effectively stalled the Canadian economy, saying small businesses are looking for a concrete plan.

“Our economy is suffering,” said Rempel Garner, the Tory’s industry critic. “The best way businesses can get support is to get back to work.”

Ng wouldn’t disclose any possible timeframes, only saying the government’s efforts have been focused on flattening the curve, which she said is “job one.” She said her discussions with thousands of small businesses across Canada have been about how they can access federal funds to keep their team afloat and on a “good foot” so they can reopen when it is safe to do so.

The minister also pointed to the various federal programs that the government has implemented in recent weeks to help Canadian businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, there is the Emergency Wage Subsidy, which offers employers 75-per-cent return on an employees salary, and the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program, which will help small businesses cover their rents for April, May, and June.

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Since the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic last month, all Canadian provinces and territories have declared some form of a state of emergency, resulting in the closure of non-essential businesses across the country.

Restaurants Canada, a not-for-profit association advancing the potential of Canada’s food service industry, said last month that a survey of foodservice businesses across the country revealed many are considering closing down permanently in the wake of COVID-19. As well, they said over 90 per cent of these businesses, facing little to no income without a clear end date in sight, said they are very worried about the next three months.

Rempel Garner argued that small businesses need information on the federal government’s plan to reopen the economy so they can decide if they should close permanently or “try and stay alive.”

“Businesses don’t just want handouts from the government,” she said. “They want a plan to know when they can get back to work. So when is that plan forthcoming?”

Minister Ng said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland are working with colleagues at the provincial and territorial level to ensure businesses across the country are sustained through the crisis, until they can open their doors again.

Prince Edward Island, which is nearly COVID-19 free, according to officials, has announced plans to lift restrictions on some outdoor activities. If the plan goes well, the province will open some shops and restaurants as part of a second phase in mid-May. Meanwhile, Saskatchewan will begin to reopen its economy next moth, with the first of five phases in its rollout plan scheduled to start on May 4. It will reopen services like dentistry and optometry while allowing for some low-risk outdoor recreational actives, like fishing and boating.

In a press conference Thursday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his government would have positive news in the coming days for businesses like garden centres, though he declined to go into details.

“I understand the situation they’re in and our governments going to act on that,” Ford said.

The PMO directed iPolitics to the prime minister’s comments at his daily press conference Thursday.

In response to a question about whether it’s too early for provinces to plan reopening parts of their economy, Trudeau said different provinces are in different postures related to COVID-19 and will be making decisions that are appropriate for them.

“What we’re doing at the federal level is attempting to pull together and co-ordinate all different provinces so that we are working from a similar set of guidelines and principles to ensure that Canadians right across the country are being kept safe as we look to these next steps,” he said.

Trudeau said until there is a a vaccine or significant treatments for COVID-19, the country is not going to be able to talk about getting back to normal. He added that in the coming months, the number of restrictions and rules on personal mobility in certain economic sectors would loosen.

As well, in response to a question about some jurisdictions in the U.S. opening businesses as early as tomorrow, Trudeau said provinces and the federal government’s decisions will “be informed by what is working and what is perhaps not working as well elsewhere in the world.”

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In an interview with iPolitics last week, Rempel Garner said Canadians are “absolutely frustrated” with the federal government’s silence on a plan to end mass isolation and reopen Canadian businesses. She said the Conservative Party would be proposing its own solutions in the coming weeks to show some leadership on the matter.

“Other countries are already starting to articulate phases approaches around the world on this, and Canada can’t fall behind it,” she said. “There’s a lot of people who are losing their businesses and livelihood and they deserve a plan.”