Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Emergency aid gives $2,000 a month to people who can’t work due to the pandemic

The Canada emergency response benefit (CERB) will be extended by two more months.

CERB has provided taxable payments of $2,000 for up to four months to Canadians who lost income because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today that the financial supports will be extended for eight weeks for those who still can’t work as provinces and territories gradually reopen their economies.

“The reality is that there are three million people out of work who are looking for work, and even as our economy is reopening, there are many, many more people out of work, willing to work, than there are jobs available,” he said.

A draft bill placed conditions on CERB payments requiring recipients to actively look for work and to not turn down reasonable work opportunities. That legislation did not pass, but Trudeau said today the government will find ways to encourage people to work when they are able.