Because of the current crisis in Canada, there are hundreds of thousands of job losses. At one point, more than one million Canadians had applied for an employment insurance office. Even among restaurant workers, Restaurants Canada estimates that more than 800,000 of them, two-thirds of the food workforce, are now unemployed.

Yesterday we published a summary of the assistance measures adopted by the various levels of government to support individuals.

The organization works closely with governments to help preserve public health while maintaining the opening of facilities and ensuring business continuity for the long term.

Restaurants have played an essential role so far during this crisis, mostly continuing to offer meals in the dining room when it was still possible or by diversifying their offer and opening their counter to take away or set up a delivery service.

But if current conditions persist, thousands of people working in this sector may never find their jobs.

A survey by Restaurants Canada shows that 10% of restaurants have already officially closed permanently. Over the next 30 days, the agency expects more of these permanent closures if demands for social distancing persist.

Since March 1, four out of five restaurants have laid off workers, and seven out of ten restaurants will be forced to reduce their opening hours or fire more people.

As we approach the height of the crisis, restaurants that have been forced to temporarily close hope to get help now to reopen soon. Among other things, they want flexibility from landlords, access to working capital and better accessibility to the wage subsidy promised by the Trudeau government.