Top Class Actions  |  March 26, 2020

Category: Canada

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Hand holding money regarding the massive $107 billion aid package passed to help Canadians as they cope with job losses and other economic challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic

A massive $107 billion aid package has been passed to help Canadians as they cope with job losses and other economic challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of Canada’s workers are reportedly facing unemployment.

After spending a late night in negotiations, the House of Commons passed the coronavirus aid package legislation early Wednesday morning. The Senate subsequently passed the legislation without any amendments. The bill received royal assent on Wednesday afternoon from Governor General Julie Payette.

The COVID-19 aid package, which includes the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), would increase Canadians’ access to employment insurance and other programs to help individuals and businesses who need assistance.

Initially, the bill that was proposed was worth approximately $82 billion, but the legislators agreed to increase that price to $107 billion to provide a more generous benefit that will be available to a larger number of Canadians affected by the coronavirus.

Workers may be entitled to as much as $2,000 per month for four months as part of this coronavirus aid package. Canadians who are older than 15 and who earned more than $5,000 in the last 12 months but who are currently not earning income due to the pandemic would be eligible for the payment. In addition, freelancers who do not currently have access to unemployment insurance will have access to the CERB.

According to Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Ottawa has budgeted for $55 billion in tax deferrals and $52 billion in direct payments. Morneau says Canada is currently experiencing an “enormous” number of job losses; however, the government is hopeful that these losses will be temporary. On Wednesday, he urged senators to quickly approve a plan that would get money in the hands of Canadians who are facing unemployment during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Morneau also told senators that the government needs to make sure Canadians have jobs to go back to once the pandemic subsides.

Opposition Conservatives in the Commons described some of the initial parts of the bill as a liberal “power grab” but they were able to attain some concessions that led to the bill’s passage.

Several parts of the proposed bill were amended or removed, including the sections that granted the government unlimited powers to tax and spend until the end of next year. The current bill grants unlimited spending power to the government until June 2020.Hand holding credit card in front of Canadian flag regarding the economic aid package passed for workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic

The bill includes “sunset clauses” that apply to parts of the legislation that will expire unless they are reauthorized by Parliament.

In addition to the payments to Canadians who have lost income due to the pandemic, the proposed COVID-19 aid package also includes a number of other benefits to provide economic relief to those who are struggling.

The proposed aid package provides $2 billion in extra support for Canada Child Benefit payments, a six-month interest-free postponement of student loan payments, extension of the tax filing deadline to June 1, an Emergency Support Benefit that will provide up to $5 billion to workers who are facing unemployment but are ineligible for employment insurance, and doubling the homeless care program.

Other benefits from the COVID-19 aid package include an Emergency Care Benefit with a maximum disbursement of $10 billion, which would provide workers who need to stay home and who don’t otherwise qualify for paid sick leave or employment insurance with up to $900 biweekly for up to 15 weeks, and $305 million for an Indigenous Community Support Fund to address needs in First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation communities.

Although the COVID-19 aid bill only needed the approval of one party’s caucus to pass the Commons, it required the support of every MP present to pass on the expedited one-day timeline. Due to the pressing need of the aid, the bill eventually received support from all parties and was passed early Wednesday morning.

The bill allows the government to have flexibility to address the financial needs of individuals and businesses in Canada while the pandemic is ongoing.

After it passed the coronavirus aid bill, the House adjourned until April 20.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a news conference and announced that the government is attempting to find a balance between the need to help Canadians quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic with the need to stay accountable to Parliament. He delivered the news conference outside his residence, where he continues to self-isolate after his wife tested positive for COVID-19.

What do you think about the $107 billion aid package? Is it enough to help those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below!

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8 thoughts onCOVID-19 Economic Aid Package Passed to Help Canadians Amid Pandemic

  1. Scott Hislop says:

    I had worked and contributed to the Canadian TAXATION SCAMS for 41 years ,then broke my leg at home ,could not work for a year and a half while still in full leg splint then had to have rehab ,was cut off long term disability ,by then I was about 57 years old hadn’t worked for a few years. tried to get a job ,no one was hiring,tried for three years ,but no one was hiring anybody over age 40. then came covoid, even less hiring happening. haden’t worked for several years now and I couldn’t QUALIFY FOR CERB or any of the other “programs” had no income ,was surviving on handouts from my 93 year old parents. TRUDEAU in the news said “HANG TIGHT, more programs coming! so waited still applying for jobs yet no luck . NEVER did QUALIFY FOR ANY COVID RELIEF ,still had no income.yet read where the government had given covid relief to 300000 15 to 17 year olds HOW DID THEY QUALIFY WHEN I COULDN’T . THEY GOT RELIEF yet never worked or contributed to government coffers for 41 years???THEN READ THE GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT TRY TO RECOUP THE FUNDS FROM THOSE KIDS (most of whom lived at home with their parents and had already gotten everything payed for by their parent and they had likely no bills to pay either! yet me still no job at that time could not QUALIFY HAD NO MONEY COMING IN and was ignored by the government. I FEEL THAT I HAVE BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST ,specially when I heard that they would not have to pay the money back. THEY GOT A FINANCIAL BUMP UP IN LIFE AND I GOT THE FINGER! AND NO FUNDS !! THIS GOVERNMENT PREACHES NOT TO BE PREJUDICE YET THEY THEMSELVES DISCRIMINATE AGAINST US OLDER FOLK I AM NOW 61 ,HAD TO TAKE MY CPP EARLY JUST TO PUT FOOD ON TABLE. I GOT SCREWED AND FELL EVEN FURTHER BEHIND FINANCIALLY WHILE YOUNG KIDS TO YOUNG TO EVEN HAVE REGULAR JOBS GOT FUNDS GIFTED TO THEM.
    THE SYSTEM IN CANADA ARE BROKEN BADLY!!!
    I FEEL THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE TO ANTI UP AND NOW GIVE ME EXACTLY THE SAME AMOUNT THAT THEY GAVE THOSE KIDS . I HAVE SINCE FOUND A JOB JUST STARTED 2 DAYS AGO ,BUT I AN ALSO STILL FAR FAR BEHIND ON BILLS ,THE MONEY THAT MY PARENTS LOANED ME I STILL HAVE TO PAY BACK (ABOUT $30000.00 now)
    I COULD USE THAT LUMP TO TRY TO CATCH UP A BIT ,I SHOULD HAVE QUALIFIED LONG LONG AGO. THIS GOVERNMENT PRACTICES DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MANY UNEMPLOYED CITIZENS WHO ARE IN THE LATER STAGES OF THEIR CAREERS AND WORKING LIVES SPECIALLY IF THEY HAD NOT HAD A JOB IN THE LAST YEAR. I AM TOTALLY DISGUSTED WITH THE WHOLE GOVERNMENT AND THEIR CRAPPY LEGISLATION AND DISREGARD FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SUPPORTED THE “SYSTEM FOR MOST OF THEIR LIVES YET WHEN THEIR TURN COMES AND THEY NEED ASSISTANCE ARE IGNORED! THAT TRULY IS DISCRIMINATION ON THE GOVERNMENTS PART. ON TOP OF IT ALL ,LOCAL GOVERNMENT HAS JUST UPPED MY PROPERTY TAXES BY 18% THIS LAST YEAR DURING COVID AND THEY HAVE US PAYING FOR A WATER SYSTEM WHICH WE DID NOT NEED COSTING US $2200 per year PLUS USAGE ,YET WE ARE NOT EVEN HOOKED INTO THEIR SYSTEM LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS RIPPING OFF THE LOCALS HERE IN YOUBOU BC ALL TO HELP THEIR PROPERTY DEVELOPER BUDDIES AT OUR EXPENSE. THEY NEEDED THEIR WATER SYSTEM SO THE DEVELOPER COULD SELL THE PROPERTIES ,THE BUYERS COULD NOT GET MORTGAGES WITHOUT THE SYSTEM THEY FORCED US TO PAY FOR YET WE DID NOT NEED IT!
    WE WERE LIVING HERE FIRST AND MANY OF US HAVE NO INTENTION OF SELLING OR MOVING ,THE DEVELOPERS HOWEVER ARE FLIPPING PROPERTY AND IN THE PROCESS CAUSEING THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO UP OUR PROPERTY TAXES.

  2. Ron says:

    What makes one person worth $2000.00 per month and somebody who’s lived on a meagre 1200 per month for most of their lives left struggling as always

  3. Diana Stirtzinger says:

    I am a single mother with no child support and the gov’t kept 80% of my pension last month and I was told it was illegal. How can I know if I can get assistance please?Thank you. Diana

  4. Lance ramsay says:

    Sue china it’s a lie…

  5. Gloria Gould says:

    My EI claim just ended, 2 weeks ago. Right now there isn’t any body hiring. I really need help

    1. Mary ann chantal Tucker says:

      This pandemic has hit hard! Prayers to all families. So i think its nice to get suport from the goverment but i had to wright Trudeau a email afer the 4th loan for buisness owners. Thats great,it really is. I had to bring to his attention that he was forgetting the smaller people that are also affected. Like disability! Funny 48 hours after is shen he said he was giving 600 to persons with disability but it wS only persons getting DTC so not all disability. In my email i told him that we were also human and we are struggling as well. Most society think that disBility people are just lazy and using excuses and this is why we are not entitled to help like others. Well let me clarify this to those with their noses ip their butts. We are not all lazy,im not saying mUbe some people .play the system but not all. Actually i am a front line worker,have been since 2009,i worked 16.5 hours a day from 4pm until 830am to go home shower Nd changed into another uniforme to go do a 8 hour shift at my restaurant! Alot of people are ill. Sone is seen some is not but it dont mean we are just lazy. I actually have made myself sick having 46 surgeries in close to 3 years and im going right back in shortly for more complications and 10 mpre biopsies for the rest of my growth in all my organs from working so hars even right after surgeries. I have flatlined few times,well 6 to be exact but i had a locked unit full of patients ts who needed me being i ran that floor. I am floored. How do i not qualify for help? Because my child does not still need cloths and food during this pandemic because she is in a diffrent country right now? How about having to taxi everwhere because i am palliative nowand am not allowed to venture outside alone but need to get to doctors severL times a month out of town. 7p$ there and 100$ back home to be left in the moddle of a highway in a snowstorm in slippers with no coat by a taxy driver who had his friends threaten to beat my face in if i did not prepaye 100 before i was allowed to put my medical feeding divices and my tpn (LIQUID FOOD) since i can no longer eat like normL people from being so ill and over WORKING taking care of other familys loved ones so almost 200$ i still have rent and other bills. I must rely on these companies to do and diliver groceruez tgat are now 3 times regular price. Then to find out it was turned down by oposition. Like really? Do you realise that many peoole are suicidle riggt now because of all this? The giverment needs to get their butts in guear and help all canadians not just the ones who will restart the economie. Pkease trust if i could i would be working. Unfortunatly when your heart stoos 6 times yoy are not really safento care for others and not LAZY. We are all human and should be thouggt of as such!

  6. Martha Mintsopoulos says:

    Covid, sign me up, my son and I both laid off. And I’m a finance manager!

  7. Iqra amjad says:

    I need aid.

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