Government of Canada introduces legislation to support Canadians through Recovery Benefits and extend access to funds for emergency measures

September 24, 2020

From: Employment and Social Development Canada – While many Canadians have seen their jobs come back and have returned to work since the start of the pandemic, the Government of Canada recognizes that there remain other workers in sectors that have been particularly hit hard who continue to need support.

That is why, today, the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Chrystia Freeland, and the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced the introduction of Bill C-2, to create three new temporary Recovery Benefits to support Canadians who are unable to work for reasons related to COVID-19. These new Benefits are being proposed as part of the Government of Canada’s plan to support Canadians as we work to build back a stronger, more resilient economy. Since the introduction of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) in the early days of the pandemic, at a time when we asked Canadians to stay home, close to 9 million Canadians have received the Benefit to help to pay their bills and support their families.