The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (the
"Subsidy") is a measure announced by the Government of
Canada providing a 75-per-cent wage subsidy to eligible employers
for up to 12 weeks, retroactive to March 15, 2020. Field law
has previously explained what the Subsidy means for employers on March 27th and April 1st and provided a further
update on April 9th.
On April 11, 2020, Bill 14 - A second Act respecting certain
measures in response to COVID-19 passed in Parliament and
received Royal Assent, bringing this measure into law. After
reviewing the passed Bill and the Subsidy, Field Law's Labour
and Employment team tackled eight questions employers are
asking:
- Is there a maximum amount of
subsidy? Yes. The subsidy covers 75% of the first $58,700
of an employee's income, resulting in a maximum payment per
employee of $847 per week. As mentioned above, the Subsidy may
be granted for a period covering up to 12 weeks, retroactive to
March 15, 2020.
