The Government of Canada has extended the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, which will provide employers with up to 75% of the wages, has been extended to December 19, 2020.

Changes to the CEWS broaden the reach of the program and provide better targeted support so that more workers can return to their jobs quickly as the economy restarts.

The CEWS was put in place for an initial 12-week period from March 15 to June 6, 2020, providing a 75-per-cent wage subsidy to eligible employers. On May 15, it announced that the Government of Canada would extend the CEWS by an additional 12 weeks to August 29, 2020.

Changes included in the Government’s legislation:

• Allow the extension of the CEWS until December 19, 2020, including redesigned program details until November 21, 2020.
• Make the subsidy accessible to a broader range of employers by including employers with a revenue decline of less than 30 per cent and providing a gradually decreasing base subsidy to all qualifying employers. This would help many struggling employers with less than a 30-per-cent revenue loss get support to keep and bring back workers, while also ensuring those who have previously benefited could still qualify, even if their revenues recover and no longer meet the 30 per cent revenue decline threshold.
• Introduce a top-up subsidy of up to an additional 25 per cent for employers that have been most adversely affected by the pandemic. This would be particularly helpful to employers in industries that are recovering more slowly.
• Provide certainty to employers that have already made business decisions for July and August by ensuring they would not receive a subsidy rate lower than they would have had under the previous rules.
• Address certain technical issues identified by stakeholders.

These changes follow consultations with business and labour representatives on potential adjustments to the CEWS program aimed at ensuring that it continues to protect jobs and promote growth.

By helping workers transition back to their jobs and supporting businesses as they increase revenues, these changes would ensure that employers have the certainty they need to hire back quickly as the economy improves and to best position workers and businesses for the future.

The government continues to assess and respond to the impacts of COVID-19 and stands ready to take additional actions as needed to stabilize the economy.

For more information, visit the Government of Canada CEWS page HERE

Aftermarket companies can also find information on COVID-19 related programs at the AIA Canada.