The federal government finally said on Wednesday that the entire country is contained enough so that all workers and businesses, provided they existed before the pandemic, have access to the new lockdown benefit.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland explained that the rise in COVID-19 cases and the tightening of health measures by all provinces are pushing the federal government to broaden its definition of “containment”, to provide the necessary assistance to workers and businesses suffering from declining revenues.
The Duty has reported Monday that his ministry was already planning to make available in Quebec the all new Canada Worker Benefit in the event of confinement, which offers $ 300 per week, given the closure of many non-essential businesses.
This new containment benefit, similar to the Canadian Emergency Benefit (CEP), is part of Bill C-2, which received Royal Assent last Friday. Unlike the assistance provided in this bill for businesses, benefits to workers are conditional on a situation of confinement in a province or region.
All workers will now be able to access it if their working hours are drastically restricted, now says Ottawa.
Companies that have to reduce capacity by 50% and experience a loss of 25% of their current month’s income, or more, will also be able to benefit from a wage and rent subsidy, which can amount to 75% in according to the recorded decrease. They no longer have to prove an average drop over the first 12 months of the pandemic.
This does not include the many companies created during the pandemic that are not eligible for pandemic aid, since the criterion of the decrease in income is calculated from their pre-pandemic turnover.
The measures announced Wednesday come into force retroactively since December 19.
– With Clémence Pavic