The federal government will be extending the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) for Canadians who are unable to return to work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement on Monday (June 15) during a media conference from outside his home in Ottawa.
“In the last few weeks, things have started to look up for a lot of people,” Trudeau said. “But that said, we also know that far too many Canadians are still struggling. If you’re having troubles finding a job, you shouldn’t also be worrying about whether you’ll hit the limit of your CERB benefits.”
CERB provides a payment of $2,000 per month for a maximum of 16 weeks, retroactive to March. Canadians who applied for CERB every month since the payment became available received their final payment in June.
“Right now we’re working on a solution to extend the benefit for people who can’t return to work yet.” Trudeau added. “We’ll have more details later this week. But for today, I want you to know that we will continue to be there for you and your family.”
Last Wednesday (June 10), the federal government tabled legislation that proposed extending CERB from July 5th to October 3rd, but with payments made in two-week instead of four-week periods. Draft bill C-17 also included penalties for people who fraudulently receive CERB with a fine of up to $5,000 or a fine and imprisonment of up to six months.
The legislation, which also authorized a one-time payment of $600 related to COVID-19 to people who are eligible for the Disability Tax Credit, was not supported by the opposition parties. The NDP, which supports the extension of CERB, objected to the proposed penalties that would also apply to Canadians who may have unintentionally received CERB as well as to fraudsters.
