QUESTION PERIOD — Finance
COVID-19 Economic Response Plan
May 15, 2020
My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Before the COVID-19 crisis, the Business Development Bank of Canada’s loan program excluded businesses that provided sexual services. Strangely enough, these exclusions just disappeared from the eligibility criteria for the Business Credit Availability Program, which was implemented in response to the COVID-19 crisis. My question is the following: Does this mean that the government programs are authorizing banks to grant loans or even no-interest loans to pornography companies or to massage parlours, in which clients can purchase sexual services? This is at a time when groups, such as the CLES in Montreal, and the London Abused Women’s Centre, have suffered budget cuts and cannot offer programs to help women get out of prostitution. That seems counterintuitive to me.
Thank you for your question. As I already mentioned to Senator Plett, this is a matter of concern to the government. The banks make their own decisions, but that’s not what I wanted to say. What I wanted to say is that the government takes this issue seriously and will continue to ensure that the most vulnerable have access to appropriate programs.