Canada: New $37B COVID-19 aid package extends CERB, expands EI and adds 'recovery' benefits

[The Daily Irishman]

Source: CBC

Kathleen Harris · CBC News · Posted: Aug 20, 2020 12:36 PM ET

The federal government is extending the Canada emergency response benefit (CERB) by one more month and revamping the employment insurance program to allow more people to receive financial assistance during COVID-19.

The suite of benefit reforms, aimed at helping Canadians through the transition as the economy gradually reopens, is expected to cost $37 billion.

Measures include greater flexibility on the work hours required for EI, making it easier for people to qualify for a one-year period.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough announced the new measures during a news conference in Ottawa.

"We're doing our very best to support all Canadian workers and leave no one behind," Qualtrough said.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cerb-ei-pandemic-covid19-freeland-qualtrough-1.5693554

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Okay, what's going on here? The God-Hating Socialist government of a foreign country actually seems to be. . .functional. And it actually appears to be taking steps to, to benefit people, people who aren't even rich!

Okay, I-I gotta go to FOX News now! They'll explain how this is s-s-some kind of F-Fake News designed to make President Trump look bad going into the fall campaign!

[former9thward]

1. $37 Billion?

That is very cheap. It is the equivalent of $370 Billion in the U.S. Even the Republicans wanted to spend 3 times that amount.

[The Daily Irishman]

2. Something tells me they'll probably distribute it better

Weird what happens when your first priority isn't looking after the billionaires.

[OnlinePoker]

3. There's good and bad with this.

My brother works for a metal manufacturing company in the Vancouver area. When the virus first struck, orders dried up and almost everybody was laid off. They were then eligible to claim the CERB. My brother, being a foreman, stayed on and worked on projects that were still outstanding. Within a month, however, work started pouring in and they called back the workers. Around 15 of them decided to stay home and collect the CERB even though this gave them less than their regular paycheck. My brother's boss tried a couple of times to get them back and they refused, so he reported to the government that they had quit. This should have cancelled the CERB payments, but they all still received the monthly payments.

Programs like CERB were (and still are) needed, but people taking advantage of the "free" money when they have a job available should have it cut immediately. The problem is, there's little oversight and some will abuse the program until the government decides to crack down on them.

[Hiawatha Pete]

4. If the employees didn't return to work then perhaps it's because they weren't being paid enough

Last edited Thu Aug 20, 2020, 10:44 PM - Edit history (4)

to risk their lives.

The CERB works out to about 13.00/hr. Minimum wage is 14.60hr in BC. Maybe they felt the conditions in the workplace were not safe or did not meet the required public health standards. If so, then why should anyone risk their lives and possibly those of their loved ones for an unscrupulous employer who is only paying them minimum wage because they are forced to by law.

Or maybe the employer changed their working conditions to such an extent that they were unable to continue working, which would classify as a constructive dismissal rather than a resignation under Canadian employment law.

Or maybe they have medical conditions that put them more at risk should they be become infected with Covid.

Or maybe they need to take time off to care for a family member for reasons related to covid 19, which could include providing care for a family member at high risk should they become infected. In Ontario this is called infectious disease emergency leave and is a job-protected leave.

That means an employer cannot deny an employee from taking said leave any more than they could a pregnant woman taking maternity leave, and that any form of punishment or retribution by an employer against an an employee for taking said leave is not only illegal under employment law but would also fall under the Human Rights Commission, as discrimination against disability or family status are prohibited grounds.

Are you saying you know the personal situation of each and every one of the 15 employees? If you are not their direct employer then I highly doubt it. And if you do know, then your brother's boss could be held liable for releasing sensitive personal information that should have been kept confidential.

The Government of Canada is rightfully giving its citizens the benefit of the doubt in these dire times, as any good democratic government that trusts its citizens would

Regardless of how omnipotent your brother's boss may consider himself, final decision of CERB eligibility does not rest with him, but with Revenue Canada and also the respective Provincial Ministry of Labour who on an employee's request would investigate whether any discontinuation of employment does in fact count as a resignation or a termination.

If it is found that an individual did not in fact qualify for CERB, they will be required by Revenue Canada to make repayment when they file their taxes at income tax time. If they fail to do so then they would be subject to potential penalties.

The Government of Canada did the absolute best it could with the time it had available, and did a damn good job of it too.

The arguments of ""free money", "little oversight and "abuse" are nothing more than conservative talking points parroted by some employers who think that all employees are nothing more than indentured servants.

[MrsCheaplaugh]

5. These programs are keeping Canada afloat

I don't know what would have happened without them.

Certainly you are right when you say that the talking heads grousing about "free money" and workers who prefer to collect CERB are nothing but conservative sound bites. How many handouts have corporations received?

[Hiawatha Pete]

6. Exactly!

One company alone, a medical equipment supplier who's business is booming, received a $137 million bailout: https://www.thestar.com/business/2020/08/11/business-is-booming-for-dialysis-giant-fresenius-it-took-a-137-million-bailout-anyway.html

And the Royal Bank of Canada, one of the most profitable companies in the nation with 1.5 billion in profits last quarter received $40 million in public money:
https://www.facebook.com/wearenorth99/photos/a.1920329484847705/2672000546347258/