The federal government said it had plans to transition recipients of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to the Employment Insurance (EI) program as the coronavirus aid program wraps up this fall, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke on this matter on Friday and as reported by Canadian media.
CERB provides $2,000 per month to eligible applicants who lost work or their jobs due to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last scheduled CERB pay period is currently set to end on Sept. 26.
As CERB approaches its scheduled expiry, Canadians who are eligible for EI will be transitioned to the new benefit. “Our goal is to transition everyone on the CERB to employment insurance because EI should cover every Canadian who’s looking for work,” Justin Trudeau said at a news conference Friday.
“And for those who don’t qualify for EI right now, like gig or contract workers, we will create a transitional parallel benefit that is similar to employment insurance.”
The Prime Minister said more details about “what will come after the CERB” will be released in the following weeks. He added that the government will also make a “sickness and caregivers benefit” for individuals who contract the virus — or have a family member who did — and don’t have coverage through their job.
No one will be left behind.”, The Prime Minister said.
