On April 6, I posted
this blog summarizing the main features of the Canada Emergency
Response Benefit ("CERB"). On April 15, Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau announced further changes to the Canada Emergency
Response Benefit ("CERB"). Note that the proposed changes
have not yet been formalized in legislation.
Applicants may earn up to $1,000 in income:
Previously, only those who had stopped working and earned no income
for at least 14 consecutive days in an Eligibility Period (see
chart below) were eligible for CERBs. This restriction has been
modified and workers can now earn up to $1000 during an Eligibility
Period. However, as has been the case with all government support
programs responding to the pandemic, the devil is in the details.
We will not have complete answers to the questions which will
undoubtedly arise about the implementation of this change until we
can review the new regulation, which we trust will clarify the
application of this new rule.
