Federal COVID Relief Bills
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On March 24, 2020, the House of Commons re-convened to pass emergency legislation to deliver financial aid to Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Legislative action regarding public health measures taken in all jurisdictions to combat COVID-19 is being covered in our sister publication - Workplace Environment Health and Safety and in bi-monthly issues of Health Safety & Environment Regulatory Alert (HSERA).
An Act respecting certain measures in response to COVID-19
On March 25, 2020, the federal Department of Finance introduced An Act respecting certain measures in response to COVID-19 (also known as the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act). The legislation provides for an initial aid package of measures to deal with the pandemic including, among other things: income tax measures; the Canada Emergency Response Benefit Act; Canada Labour Code amendments (e.g. leave related to COVID-19); and various Employment Insurance Act amendments.
Access details of the Act at: https://fin.canada.ca/drleg-apl/2020/nwmm-amvm-0320-l-eng.html
Canada Emergency Response Benefit Act
As indicated above, also on March 25, 2020, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit Act was passed to provide financial support to workers suffering a loss of income for reasons related to COVID-19 (CERB).
A preliminary analysis of the legislation can be found at:
https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en-ca/knowledge/publications/721c56f6/preliminary-analysis-of-the-new-canada-emergency-response-benefit-act
