CERB – Canada Emergency Response Benefit
To summarize the program, eligible employers may qualify may for a 75% wage subsidy to a maximum benefit of $847.00 per week for each employee on their payroll from March 15 to June 6, 2020.
Employers must make their best effort to top up each employee’s salary to bring them to pre-pandemic levels.
The goal of this program is to prevent further job losses, encourage employers to re-hire workers previously laid off as a result of COVID-19, and to help put companies in a better position to resume normal operations after the pandemic ends.
From an economic and people standpoint, the program also provides a greater benefit to employees and individuals facing job loss and hardship during COVID-19. For example, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) provides individuals with a benefit of up to $2,000 a month for up to four months, whereas the wage subsidy program may maintain the individual’s current salary or at least provide the employee with 75% of their pre-crisis wages.
The CERB would cover Canadians who
- Have lost their job, are sick, or quarantined.
- Taking care of someone who is sick with COVID-19.
- Parents who must stay home without pay to care for children who are sick or at home because of school and daycare closures.
- Additionally, workers who are still employed, but are not receiving income because of disruptions to their work situation due to COVID-19, would also qualify
The CERB would apply to wage earners, as well as contract workers and self-employed individuals who would not otherwise be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI). For complete information on the program, please visit https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2020/04/the-canada-emergency-wage-subsidy.html