More than half a million Canadians have recently filed for employment insurance as the novel coronavirus pandemic takes its toll on Canada’s job market.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the number of calls received by Service Canada and other government agencies has been “historic.” “We received over 500,000 applications so far this week, compared to just under 27,000 applications for the same week last year,” he said in reference to employment insurance. “I know people are anxious to get the help they deserve, and our government is working as fast as possible to support them.
This is, of course, an unprecedented situation, and it’s putting a lot of pressure on our system, but we’re on it. Thousands of public servants are working around