OTTAWA – The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program is being extended until December, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced, “to give greater certainty and support to businesses as we restart the economy.”
The subsidy has been touted as a way to get Canadians back to work after months-long shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The program covers up to 75 per cent of an eligible company or non-profit’s wages, up to a weekly maximum of $847.
As of July 6, the wage subsidy had paid out $18.01 billion to 252,370 companies in payroll help.
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The government’s fiscal and economic “snapshot” last week boosted the budget of the wage subsidy program to $82.3 billion in a sign of impending changes.
Trudeau has not said how the government will reshape the eligibility rules for the program that critics have said acts a barrier to receiving the aid.
