Canada to extend the wage subsidy program past June

The federal government of Canada has decided to extend its emergency wage-subsidy program beyond June.

The program provides coverage for 75% of employees' pay, for a maximum sum of $847, to assist employers — who are losing revenues during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

This will help the employers keep their workers on the payroll during the coronavirus crisis.

More details about the program which was going to end on June 6^th will be available next week said the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

As per data from Statistics Canada, the country lost around 2 million jobs in the month of April, which was a record high. Estimates from the agency's Labour Force Survey peg the total number of jobs lost during the crisis at more than 3 million.

In his media briefing, Trudeau said "What we're seeing, even beyond these reports and these numbers, is the reality on the ground, that people who are already vulnerable in the workforce, people who are already disadvantaged or facing extra barriers, are always the first to get hit when we have a difficult situation like this""That's why, as a society, not only do we need to do what we are doing in the short term ... we need to make sure that as we move forward to rebuilding and creating a more prosperous Canada in the coming months and years, we think very, very carefully about how important the work that is being done by women and vulnerable Canadians is, and how we need to make sure we're better supporting them."

As per Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos, 120,000 ​​​​​​businesses had applied to the program and about 97,000 have been approved by May 7^th. This will cover a total of 1.7 million workers. He emphasized the importance of the program in maintaining the employer-employee relationship during the ongoing crisis. Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business was appreciative of the decision to extend the subsidy and gave credit to the government for listening to the concerns of small businesses. Kelly also said that he would like to see more changes to help small firms stay in business — such as an expansion of the emergency business account to include small firms that pay dividends or contract wages. He said he would like the government to consider other ways to help tenants pay rent if their landlords choose not to participate in the rental assistance program.

Canadians are eligible to receive the wage subsidy or the CERB – a taxable benefit that offers workers $2,000 every 4 weeks, in case they lose their income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Notably, Canada has kept its immigration program open during the coronavirus crisis. This means that you can still apply to become a permanent resident of the country and be a contributor in its economic recovery after the pandemic is over, while also giving yourself a stable career in a developed country.

Should you have any questions regarding Canada PR process or want to apply, call Nationwide Visas at +91 92 92 92 92 81 for free consultation.

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