COVID-19: Cross Country Update (July 25-27, 2020)

Federal

The Government of Canada announced the following measures:

Extension of Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy

On July 27, 2020, Bill C-20, An Act respecting further COVID-19 measures, received Royal Assent. This legislation:

1. Expands and extends the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy ("CEWS") as follows:

• extending the CEWS until November 21, 2020, with the ability to extend the CEWS by regulation to no later than December 31, 2020;
• making the subsidy accessible to a broader range of employers by including employers with a revenue decline of less than 30% and providing a gradually decreasing base subsidy to all qualifying employers;
• introducing a top-up subsidy of up to an additional 25% for employers that have been most adversely affected by the pandemic; and