Feds announce billions in emergency aid

CALEB NICKERSON
OTTAWA March 25, 2019
Pontiac MP Will Amos was one of a handful of officials who returned to the House of Commons last week to pass a multi-billion dollar emergency aid package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amos said he arrived on Parliament Hill around noon on Tuesday, but the debate in the house didn’t start in earnest until about 3 a.m. Wednesday morning, due to negotiations between parties.
The bill was passed in the house around 6 a.m. and later that day passed in the Senate and received Royal Assent from the Governor General.
The primary point of contention raised by opposition MPs were sections that would have granted the government the power to tax and spend without parliamentary approval until the end of 2021. The bill was amended to give the government unlimited power to spend until June, with clauses requiring parliamentary approval for any extension to that timeframe.
“It was so important for and it remains so important that all Canadians work together to tackle COVID-19,” an audibly tired Amos told The Equity in a phone interview on Wednesday. “It goes far beyond partisanship, it goes beyond one level of government. This is a national and a global challenge and we are tackling it head-on.”
The bill was initially budgeted at $82 billion, but Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced later on Wednesday that they had increased the funding to $107 billion, with $52 billion in direct financial support and $55 billion in tax deferrals.
Amos broke down the main points of the benefits that will help citizens weather the coming months.
The Canada Child Benefit has been enhanced by $2 billion, which works out to an increase of $300 per child.
The government originally announced two benefit programs, the Emergency Care Benefit and the Emergency Support Benefit, which have since been rolled into the same program, now called the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). The payments of $2,000 per month will be issued every four weeks, covering a time period from March 15 to October 3, and will be available to:

• workers who must stop working due to COVID-19 and do not have access to paid leave or other income support.
• workers who are sick, quarantined, or taking care of someone who is sick with COVID-19.
• working parents who must stay home without pay to care for children that are sick or need additional care because of school and daycare closures.
• workers who still have their employment but are not being paid because there is currently not sufficient work and their employer has asked them not to come to work.
• wage earners and self-employed individuals, including contract workers, who would not otherwise be eligible for Employment Insurance.

The website to apply for the CERB is expected to be online by early April and applicants can expect payment within 10 days. There will also be a toll-free number made available. Anyone already receiving EI should not apply for the CERB.
Businesses that have seen a drop in revenue of more than 30 per cent are eligible for a wage subsidy of up to 75 per cent, retroactive to March 15. More details on the program are expected before the end of the month.
Those with student loans have received a six-month reprieve, interest-free. The deadline to file taxes has been extended to June 1 and tax payments have been deferred until Aug. 31.
“Farm credit Canada is receiving an extra $5 billion in lending capacity, so farmers will … have the possibility of deferring the principal or interest portions of their loans or have access to additional credit,” Amos said. “All farmers who have outstanding loan deadline on April 30 can receive a stay of default for an extra six months. Basically farmers who experience a reduction in income will have an additional six months to repay cash advances.”
There will also be a one-time GST credit, expected to be paid out to low- and moderate-income individuals by early May. It will average about $400 for individuals and around $600 for couples. There is no application process for this credit. Those that qualify will receive it automatically.
More details on these programs are available on the Government of Canada’s website.
Amos emphasized that this plan is just “phase one” of the federal government’s support program and encouraged input from citizens about possible courses of action.
“We’re committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure the health of Canadians,” he said. “We’re in this together and we’re going to use every tool at our disposal. In that regard, I’m really, really … pleased that Pontiac businesses and workers are contacting me, emailing me, calling me, sending Facebook messages to suggest other measures that we should consider.”
As the Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Amos added that the government was working with private businesses to produce medical gear in-country.
“A key component of our economic and health response is to re-orient Canadian manufacturing and to re-orient Canadian industry, to partner with industry to ensure that Canadian manufacturers are making Canadian products to support Canadian front-line medical workers,” he said. “Everything from masks to ventilators to gowns to hospital beds, the Canadian business community is stepping up and re-directing their industrial output … towards the public interest … It’s very similar to what we did in World War II.”
He concluded by reiterating his support for all essential service workers, as well as tipping his cap to his office staff who have been handling communications with residents of the riding.
“Our small office team is working so, so hard right now,” he said. “Everyone’s working from home. Many of us have children who are at home as well, but seven days a week we’re fielding calls, emails, Facebook messages … our physical offices are closed, but we’re working every day. I’m literally working night and day. We’re committed to every single constituent that comes asking for assistance.”