Freeland says COVID-related funding ‘money well spent’ to help country through pandemic

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland addressed the auditor general’s report citing financial waste that occurred in the roll-out of COVID-19 benefits, saying that the emergency support was “money well spent” and helped get the country through the pandemic without “deep economic scarring.” She also cited a report this summer by a group of researchers which showed how many people would have died at U.S.-levels of mortality, with up to 70,000 people who may have died, and that taking measures as a society helped protect people.