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22 Dec
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COVID-19 Recovery Programs continues

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COVID-19 Recovery Programs continue to provide support to Canadian businesses and organizations

The Government of Canada remains committed to supporting Canadian businesses and organizations in the face of the ongoing pandemic. On Friday, December 17, 2021, the targeted COVID-19 support measures received Royal Assent. These measures will ensure that the hardest-hit sectors and those who are most affected by the pandemic will continue to receive the support they need. The government will remain vigilant to ensure businesses have the tools needed to deal with the impacts of the evolving Omicron variant while also supporting a strong economic recovery.

Today, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue, announced further details on these measures including current application periods:

  • Increasing the subsidy rate for the Canada Recovery Hiring Program from 20 per cent to 50 per cent. The increased rate will help organizations continue to hire back workers and create the additional jobs Canada needs for a full recovery. Applications for period 22 are now open, covering the period of October 24 to November 20, 2021.
  • The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy ended on October 23, 2021, and have been replaced by targeted support to organizations that are still facing significant pandemic-related challenges. Support will be available through two streams:
  • Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program, which will provide support through wage and rent subsidies to, for example, hotels, tour operators, travel agencies, and restaurants, with a subsidy rate of up to 75 per cent. Eligible organizations would be required to meet the following two conditions to qualify for this program:
    • An average monthly revenue reduction of at least 40 per cent over the first 13 claim periods for the CEWS (12-month revenue decline); and
    • A current-month revenue decline of at least 40 per cent.
    • Applications for period 22 are now open, covering the period of October 24 to November 20, 2021.
  • Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program, which will provide support through wage and rent subsidies. It will support other organizations that have faced deep losses, with a subsidy rate of up to 50 per cent. Eligible organizations would be required to meet the following two conditions to qualify for this program:
    • An average monthly revenue reduction of at least 50 per cent over the first 13 claim periods for the CEWS (12-month revenue decline); and
    • A current-month revenue decline of at least 50 per cent.
    • Applications for period 22 are now open, covering the period of October 24 to November 20, 2021.
  • Increasing the monthly cap on eligible rent expenses that can be claimed. To better respond to the needs of organizations, the government is increasing the aggregate monthly cap on eligible expenses that can be claimed from $300,000 to $1 million (including amounts claimed by affiliated entities) starting on October 24, 2021.

These COVID-19 programs are extended until May 7, 2022, with the authority to further extend them, through regulation, until July 2, 2022.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)’s top priority is to continue to ensure that the program application processes are simple and clear, and that subsidy payments get into the hands of those who need them, as quickly as possible.

Question and answer sessions to discuss both the Tourism and Hospitality and Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Programs will take place in January 2022. Further details will be provided once more information is available.

Quick Facts

  • Getting set up with CRA’s My Business Account is the most convenient and quickest way to apply for and receive the subsidies you may be entitled to.
  • The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy has helped over 5.3 million Canadians remain employed through over $97 billion in wage support.
  • The Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy has helped over 1.8 million Canadians remain employed through over $7 billion in rent/mortgage support.
  • In order to maintain public confidence, and the integrity of Canada’s tax and benefits system, the CRA performs regular validation reviews. These reviews are designed to confirm that individuals are indeed eligible for the benefits they receive.

 

Associated Links
Targeting COVID-19 Support Measures
COVID-19 benefits and services - Canada.ca

December 22, 2021

Good afternoon / bonjour :

Le français suit l’anglais

Today we announced the federal government’s intention to temporarily expand eligibility for key support programs to ensure Canadians are protected and workers and businesses get the help they need to sustain them through new and necessary public health restrictions.

Using regulatory authority provided in Bill C-2, the government intends to introduce new regulations that would:

  • Expand the Local Lockdown Program to include employers subject to capacity-limiting restrictions of 50 per cent or more; and reduce the current-month revenue decline threshold requirement to 25 per cent. Eligible employers will receive wage and rent subsidies from 25 per cent up to a maximum of 75 per cent, depending on their degree of revenue loss. The 12-month revenue decline test continues to not be required in order to access this support.
  • Expand the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit to include workers in regions where provincial or territorial governments have introduced capacity-limiting restrictions of 50 per cent or more. As announced previously, this benefit will provide $300 a week in income support to eligible workers who are directly affected by a COVID-19-related public health lockdown, and who have lost 50 per cent or more of their income as a result.

These updated regulations will apply from December 19, 2021, to February 12, 2022, during which time it is expected that public health authorities will continue to implement “circuit-breaker” restrictions that limit the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 across Canada.

More details on the expansion of these support measures are available in the backgrounder associated with today’s announcement.

OUR TEAM:

For assistance at any time, please reach out to the team member below who represents your region. Based on the current volume of email, if you reply to this email directly without copying the appropriate regional team member, my response may be significantly delayed.

We value our connections with every stakeholder, so please continue to stay engaged with us. If you no longer wish to receive updates on our government’s progress and important announcements, let me know and I won’t include you moving forward.

Aujourd’hui, nous avons annoncé que le gouvernement fédéral a l’intention d’élargir temporairement l’admissibilité aux principaux programmes de soutien pour assurer la protection des Canadiens et veiller à ce que les travailleurs et les entreprises reçoivent l’aide dont ils ont besoin pour faire face aux nouvelles restrictions de santé publique nécessaires.

Par l’intermédiaire de l’autorité réglementaire figurant dans le projet de loi C-2, le gouvernement compte faire adopter de nouvelles règles qui :

  • Élargiraient le Programme de soutien en cas de confinement local pour y inclure les employeurs assujettis à une restriction de santé publique en matière de capacité de 50 % ou plus et réduiraient à 25 % l’exigence relative au seuil de baisse des recettes du mois courant. Les employeurs admissibles recevraient des subventions salariales et des subventions pour le loyer de 25 % jusqu’à concurrence de 75 %, selon leur niveau de pertes de revenus. Le critère de baisse des revenus sur une période de 12 mois n’est toujours pas requis pour avoir droit à cette mesure de soutien.
  • Élargiraient la Prestation canadienne pour les travailleurs en cas de confinement pour y inclure les travailleurs des régions où les gouvernements provinciaux et territoriaux ont mis en place des restrictions en matière de capacité de 50 % ou plus. Conformément à ce qui a été annoncé auparavant, cette prestation offrira un soutien au revenu de 300 $ par semaine aux travailleurs admissibles qui sont directement touchés par un confinement lié à la COVID-19 pour les raisons de santé publique et qui, en conséquence, ont perdu au moins 50 % de leurs revenus.

Ces modifications seraient en vigueur du 19 décembre 2021 au 12 février 2022, période durant laquelle les autorités de santé publique devraient continuer d’appliquer des mesures « coupe-circuit » qui limiteraient la propagation du variant Omicron dans l’ensemble du Canada.

De plus amples renseignements sur ces prolongations et ces mesures de soutien figurent dans le document d’information qui accompagne l’annonce d’aujourd’hui.

L'ÉQUIPE :

Pour obtenir de l'aide à tout moment, veuillez contacter le membre de l'équipe ci-dessous qui représente votre région. Compte tenu du volume actuel de courriels que nous recevons, si vous répondez directement à ce courriel sans copier le membre de l'équipe régionale approprié, notre réponse pourrait être considérablement retardée :

Nous accordons une grande importance à nos relations avec chaque partie prenante, alors nous vous invitons à continuer à vous engager avec nous.  Au cas où vous ne souhaitez plus recevoir ces mises à jour par courriel de notre gouvernement et des annonces importantes, veuillez me le faire savoir et vous serez retirés de la liste.

Merci !

Jason Easton
Chief of Staff |Chef de cabinet
Office of the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development
Bureau de la ministre du Commerce international, de la Promotion des exportations, de la Petite Entreprise et du Développement économique
jason.easton@international.gc.ca 

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