Early this morning, the House of Commons unanimously passed legislation containing new benefits for Canadians unemployed because of COVID-19 and for workers forced to take time off because of illness, isolation, or family care needs. The major component of the Bill replaces the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) with a new suite of income supports.
The legislation now heads to the Senate where it is expected to be quickly debated and voted on this week.
Yesterday, Liberal House Leader Pablo Rodriguez declared that any vote on the Bill would be treated as a matter of confidence, meaning its defeat would all but guarantee an election. Although it was expected that the NDP would vote in favour of the measures, it was not expected that the legislation would enjoy the all-party support that it did. With this vote, the likelihood of a fall election has diminished considerably.
The Bill creates:
The Bill also changes the established minimum weekly benefit payment for all EI recipients to $500—the same level as the CRB.
Canadians will be able to apply for the CRB, CRSB, and CRCB through the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for one year up until September 25, 2021.
Applications for the CRSB and CRCB are expected to open October 4 and CRB on October 11.