Sherbrooke, March 16th 2020 – So as to provide the best service possible to the citizens of our region, the Members of Parliament for Sherbrooke and Compton-Stanstead are putting together sectoral groups with which they will communicate on a weekly basis throughout the Coronavirus crisis.

Sherbrooke Ville en santé, regional mayors and prefects, representatives from the chambers of commerce, economic development agencies and private businesses, as well as organizations working with seniors and in the agricultural, agri-food and food security sectors will receive an invitation shortly.
These conference calls will allow Mmes. Bibeau and Brière to give participants the latest information on the evolving situation and the measures taken by the Government which they will be able to share within their respective networks. The MP’s will also be listening to the community leaders’ concerns and sharing that information with the appropriate Cabinet Ministers.

As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development, Ms. Élisabeth Brière will lead the discussions concerning the measures taken by the Government to support our businesses. “The six Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) have already been given more tools and flexibility to help local businesses deal with economic difficulties. They will help them deal with the immediate impact of COVID-19 on their operations by allowing, for example, deferred repayment, advance payments or reimbursement of legitimate claims,” stated Mme Brière.

In the actual context, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and MP for Compton-Stanstead, Marie-Claude Bibeau, also has an important role to play in terms of food safety across the country. In this measure, she wishes to remind people that “[…] there is no food shortage in the country to worry about. We recommend people make a few provisions so as to avoid multiple outings in public spaces, such as grocery stores, and to be prepared in the event of an eventual isolation period,” added Mme Bibeau.
Representatives from socio-economical organizations interested in these conference calls may
communicate with the offices of their respective Member of Parliament:
[email protected] and [email protected].