President of the Treasury Board Jean-Yves Duclos and Minister of Health Patty Hajdu listen as Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland speaks during a press conference about COVID-19 in West Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has appealed to the nation's landlords to not evict tenants who cannot pay their rent today.
The government is planning to provide benefits to people who have lost their income due to COVID-19 but that money has not started to flow yet, leaving many people unable to pay their rent.
Freeland says it would be heartless for landlords to evict tenants during this crisis.
She says for those landlords who need rent money to pay their mortgage, the federal government has worked with banks to try to give homeowners some breathing room.