Ottawa Plans to Change CERB Requirements to Allow Seasonal Workers to Apply

Minister of Employment Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Carla Qualtrough rises in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, on April 11, 2020. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

OTTAWA—Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough says the federal government is working on ways to ensure seasonal workers who do not currently qualify for the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit will be able to apply.

Opposition MPs grilled Liberal cabinet ministers about the full package of emergency measures as part of a special sitting of Parliament Saturday to pass the Trudeau government’s wage subsidy program.

The program is aimed at helping Canadians weather the economic downturn caused by COVID−19, the disease the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus causes.

A man wears a mask for protection against COVID-19 while waiting outside a store in Ottawa, Canada, on April 4, 2020. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

Qualtrough says the government is currently working on changes to the CERB, which pays $2,000 a month for up to four months to workers whose income has disappeared due to COVID−19.

She says regulatory changes are needed to allow seasonal workers who currently don’t meet criteria for the emergency benefit to become eligible.

Qualtrough says those regulatory changes are being considered, and she is working hard to ensure seasonal workers will have access to the CERB.