Canada’s pandemic costs skyrocket with added military aid

This is due to the fact that the Trudeau government has employed a significant amount of military reservists to cope with the lockdown—the full price is double the cost of the Canadian Navy's last aircraft carrier.

Although the exact cost still remains uncertain, government analysts said that the $456 million is only an "estimate" of the price "directly associated with the employment, deployment and sustainment of the 10,000 reserve personnel.”

Governments have a history of understating the costs for projects, so it would not be unsurprising if this were to rise as the lockdown continues.

Earlier this month, the Trudeau government placed 10,ooo reservists on the taxpayer's bill until Labour Day in order to help with the pandemic. Ontario and Quebec, in particular, requested help from the Canadian military.

Speaking about the role of reservists in this pandemic, the prime minister said that "this is not a war. That doesn’t make this fight any less destructive, any less dangerous. But there is no front line marked with barbed wire."

"Every one of us has a role to play in helping to shield our country from the threat it now faces," he added.