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Ottawa (25 Oct. 2021) — The end of the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) on October 23, 2021,will leave many Canadians with no income. While the unemployment rate is starting to drop, 750,000 people are still relying on the CRB.
Because of the cuts that have been made to Employment Insurance (EI) over the years, ending the CRB will mean a significant gap in the social safety net. People in precarious, work who are often unable to qualify for EI, will be particularly hard hit.
Let the federal government know people shouldn’t be abandoned
It’s important to let the federal government know that it shouldn’t be abandoning the 750,000 people relying on the CRB. The Canadian Labour Congress has created a page to make it easy for people to send letters to the Prime Minister the Minister of Finance and local MPs. You can let the federal government know how you feel by going to the CLC page.
Measures announced this week don’t replace the CRB
There were hopes that the federal government would announce measures this week to assist Canadians who still aren’t back at work and who are not eligible for EI. That didn’t happen.
Businesses in the travel and tourism secto,r and businesses that have suffered significant losses, will still be able to get help from the federal government but income supports for workers have been drastically scaled back.
The Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit and the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit will now be available until May 7, 2022. For both programs, the maximum number of weeks of benefits people can receive has increased by 2.
There is also a new Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit that will provide $300/week to workers who are unable to work adue to “a government-imposed public health lockdown.” Because it is only available when provincial governments implement a public health lockdown, it will be of limited use in provinces where provincial governments have delayed implementing public health measures until there was a crisis.
These measures are better than nothing, but they won’t provide the help needed for people in sectors or communities that are still suffering.
Permanent changes needed in EI to better protect workers
What the COVID-19 has made all too clear is the damage done by years of cuts to EI. While we have needed temporary measures to get us through the pandemic, the long-term solution is to reform the EI program. Changes to EI need to ensure that it once again provides workers who lose their jobs with the support they need and deserve.