Canada Announced A New 'Lockdown Benefit' For Workers Once The CRB Ends
It will give $300/week to eligible workers who can't work because of a lockdown in their area.
At a press conference on Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland announced a series of new programs and COVID-19 benefits that will replace the current Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB).
Freeland said the programs will include "more targeted measures" in contrast to what she called the "very broad-based support that was appropriate at the height of our lockdowns."
Among those new programs is the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit, which will provide $300 a week to eligible workers who can't work because of a lockdown in their area between October 24, 2021, and May 7, 2022, according to a press release.
There are also rent and wage subsidy programs for the tourism and hospitality industry (up to 75%) and other "hard-hit" businesses (up to 50%) that "can show they have faced deep and enduring losses," Freeland said.
The CRB, which ends on October 23, provided income support for workers who were directly affected by COVID-19 and weren't eligible for standard employment insurance benefits.
For a period of 54 weeks, workers could "receive $1,000 ($900 after taxes withheld) or $600 ($540 after taxes withheld) for a 2 week period" if they qualified.
"Providing support to businesses and workers during lockdown allowed us all to do the right thing together and to save lives," the deputy prime minister said at the press conference.
