Back

April 13, 2020

Canadian Parliament Passes Measure To Help Businesses Pay Workers During COVID-19

As Bloomberg reports, in the face of COVID-19 shutdowns, Canadian lawmakers have approved a bill to subsidize employees’ wages. The C$73 billion program was passed in an emergency sitting of the House of Commons on April 11.

In a fact sheet, the government explains the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) provides a 75 percent wage subsidy to eligible employers for up to 12 weeks, retroactive to March 15, 2020.  It said, “The CEWS prevents further job losses, encourages employers to re-hire workers previously laid off as a result of COVID-19, and helps better position Canadian companies and other employers to more easily resume normal operations following the crisis.”

The aid is available to individuals, taxable corporations, partnerships consisting of eligible employers, non‑profit organizations, and registered charities that see a drop of at least 15 percent of their revenue in March 2020 and 30 percent during designated months.

Click here for full information about how the program will work. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is tracking how all nations, including Canada are responding to the pandemic here.

To search, type what you're looking for and results will appear automatically