The federal government is extending the Canada Emergency Response Benefit for an additional eight weeks to support Canadians who haven’t been able to find employment as provinces start to reopen their economies.
“The reality is that even as we start to reopen, a lot of people still need this support to pay their bills while they look for work,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his daily press briefing.
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The $2,000 monthly benefit was intended to be available for 16 weeks starting in mid-March. Many Canadians who haven’t been able to return to work would have reached the end of their eligibility period in early July.
Anyone currently on the CERB — whether because they can’t find a job or their employer or industry hasn’t been able to reopen — will continue to receive it until the end of the summer.
As of June 1, more than 8.4 million Canadians had applied for the CERB and the program had paid out more than $43.5 billion.