Questions are mounting about how the federal government will continue to support Canadian workers who remain unemployed as emergency benefits offered during the coronavirus pandemic run out.
On April 6, applications opened for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), which provides eligible applicants with $2,000 every four weeks. The program applied retroactively to March 15 and is available until early October.
But people can only claim the benefit for a total of 16 weeks — or four eligibility periods — and the end of the program’s fourth period is fast-approaching early July.
1:47Canada added 290,000 jobs in May; best 1-month gain
Canada added 290,000 jobs in May; best 1-month gain
Policy analysts and experts are already examining what happens next and making recommendations about what the federal government can do to provide continued support to those who need it.
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July 4 marks first expiry date
For those who have been receiving the CERB continuously since mid-March, they will exhaust their benefits on July 4. The next date that claimants might max out is on Aug.