Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government’s wage subsidy program for employers will be extended past June. The move, he said, would help “kickstart” Canada’s economic re-opening and boost jobs.
Trudeau did not say how much longer the benefit would be available. “We’ll have more details next week,” he said. “But to businesses hit by COVID-19, know this: The wage subsidy will continue to be there for you.” Trudeau made the announcement in an address outside Rideau Cottage on Friday, hours after Canada posted its second-worst unemployment rate on record.
The program allows businesses affected by COVID-19 to receive a subsidy of 75 per cent of an employee’s wages for up to 12 weeks.