Log in or register
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn

ARTICLE · 05 MAY 2020

COVID-19 Impact: Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy Enacted

Cassels
Cassels
Contributor
Cassels

Cassels

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP is a Canadian law firm focused on serving the transaction, advocacy,...

View firm profile
Explore more from Cassels

During an emergency sitting of Parliament on Saturday night, the federal government's wage subsidy legislation was passed by both the House of Commons and the Senate and received Royal Assent.

CanadaCoronavirus (COVID-19)
Laurie Jessome
Laurie Jessome
Author LinkedIn connections

During an emergency sitting of Parliament on Saturday night, the federal government's wage subsidy legislation (entitled A Second Act Respecting Certain Measures in Response to COVID-19) was passed by both the House of Commons and the Senate and received Royal Assent. The new Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) provides a 75% wage subsidy to eligible employers for up to 12 weeks, retroactive to March 15, 2020.

Eligible Employers

Eligible employers can include the following entities:

  • individuals
  • taxable corporations
  • registered charities, other than public institutions such as school boards, colleges or hospitals
  • partnerships, all members of which are eligible employers

We operate a free-to-view policy, asking only that you register in order to read all of our content. Please login or register to view the rest of this article.

Register for freeORLog in

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

View source

Related Articles

Legal Intelligence Newsletters: sign up for the latest legal and regulatory news on your chosen topics

Read more about

Related Comparative Guides

See more popular content from

Article

Canada Announces New Counter-Tariffs And Support Measures Following US Tariff Actions

Canada has announced sweeping counter-tariffs ranging from 15% to 50% on approximately C$27.6 billion of US imports, effective September 8, 2026, in direct response to President Trump's 50% Section 338 tariffs on Canadian goods. The measures target key sectors including steel, aluminum, dairy, appliances, and electronics, while the federal government simultaneously rolls out C$7.5 billion in support for affected businesses and workers. Understanding whether products qualify as US goods under Canada's markin
CanadaInternational Law
Cassels
Cassels
Article

WorkSafeBC Proposes Changes To Laws Regarding Workplace Harassment And Violence

WorkSafeBC is proposing significant amendments to British Columbia's Occupational Health and Safety Regulation that would fundamentally reshape how employers address workplace harassment, violence, and psychological health. The proposed changes introduce expanded definitions, new prevention program requirements, and obligations to identify and control psychosocial hazards. These amendments could require most B.C. employers to substantially revise their existing workplace policies and procedures.
CanadaEmployment and HR
Cassels
Cassels
Article

New Can-Do CANDU Energy: Bill C-39 Looks To Reduce Regulatory Burdens And Streamline The Development Of Nuclear Projects In Canada

Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, proposes significant reforms to Canada's nuclear regulatory framework by restoring impact assessment authority to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and introducing streamlined approval processes. The legislation aims to reduce regulatory duplication, permit preliminary construction activities before final project approval, and establish more constrained timelines for nuclear project assessments. Will these measures be sufficient to support the ambitious growth
CanadaEnergy and Natural Resources
Cassels
Cassels
Article

Bill C-39: A New Era For Canadian Mining Project Approvals?

The Canadian government has introduced Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, proposing sweeping reforms to federal project approval processes that could fundamentally reshape mining project development and financing. The legislation aims to consolidate multiple federal reviews into a single coordinated process with a one-year decision timeline, while maintaining environmental protections and Indigenous consultation requirements.
CanadaGovernment, Public Sector
Cassels
Cassels
Article

Cassels On Competition: October 2026

More particularly, the Plaintiff had argued that the drip pricing provision in subsection 52(1.3) of the Competition Act requires “all-inclusive pricing” and forbids all forms of “fragmented or segmented pricing,” and that Ticketmaster’s partitioned price representations are thus prohibited as a criminal conduct and amount to false or misleading representations covered by the criminal misleading advertising provision in section 52
CanadaAntitrust/Competition Law
Cassels
Cassels
Article

Substance Over Form: Ontario Court Of Appeal Revisits Employee Classification In Pringle v. Zenova Group PLC

The Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that contractual labels cannot override the true nature of working relationships, even when workers choose independent contractor status for tax benefits. This decision examines how shareholding in a company intersects with employment status and whether foreign forum selection clauses can prevent Ontario workers from accessing provincial employment protections.
CanadaEmployment and HR
Cassels
Cassels