Justin Trudeau announced that the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) will be extended an additional 8 weeks for Canadians still in need of income support in the wake of COVID-19.
The 8-week extension of CERB will provide eligible Canadians with $4,000 more of income.
What is the CERB?
The CERB, or Canada Emergency Response Benefit, provides $500 per week to unemployed Canadians who have lost income, hours, or been laid off due to COVID. This gives Canadians in need $2,000 per month of income from the government to spend on necessities. Originally the benefit was for 16 weeks but is now being extended to 24 weeks.
Why is the CERB being extended 2 months?
The CERB became available April 6, 2020 and was retroactive to March 15th, 2020. It provided 4 months of income support to Canadians that needed it until October 2020. However, many people find themselves at the end of the 4 months they were eligible for support, but still have not returned to work or found other employment.
Even as businesses across the world re-open slowly, many people still have not returned to work. The CERB provides much needed personal economic relief to those who need it.
