RSS’s Labour and Employment Law Practice Group closely monitors developments with measures taken by the federal and Quebec governments to support employers and their workforce.
For instance, as of April 2020, Canada will be implementing a new Canada Emergency Response Benefit, that will provide a taxable benefit of $2,000 a month for up to 4 months to:
- workers who must stop working due to COVID-19 and do not have access to paid leave or other income support
- workers who are sick, quarantined, or taking care of someone who is sick with COVID-19
- working parents who must stay home without pay to care for children that are sick or need additional care because of school and daycare closures
- workers who still have their employment but are not being paid because there is currently not sufficient work and their employer has asked them not to come to work
- wage earners and self-employed individuals, including contract workers, who would not otherwise be eligible for Employment Insurance.
Many similar measures have been adopted: the Work-Sharing programme has been enhanced, a temporary salary grant for certain small- and medium-sized employers has been awarded, and the CNESST, among other temporary provisions, has postponed the date for the payment of assessments and the declaration of gross wages by employers.
Our group is ready to help employers make the right decisions in this difficult period.