On November 19, 2020, Bill C-9, An Act to Amend the
Income Tax Act (Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Canada Emergency
Wage Subsidy) (Bill C-9) received Royal Assent.
Bill C-9's purpose is to implement
targeted support to help businesses get through the second
wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other things, Bill C-9
makes changes to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (
CEWS), first implemented on April 11, 2020, when the federal
government introduced and passed Bill C-14, A second Act
respecting certain measures in response to COVID-19.
The CEWS program has
undergone changes since it was first announced. Bill
C-9 makes additional modifications to the program including, among
other things, extending the CEWS; narrowing its eligibility
criteria; eliminating the substantial reduction of the "base
subsidy" that was scheduled to occur beginning at Period 9
(October 25, 2020 – November 21, 2020); adjusting the CEWS
top-up subsidy; introducing an elective