Extended Federal Pandemic Benefits to Cost $873 Million: PBO

Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland speaks during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Nov. 30, 2021. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

The federal government’s proposal to extend both pandemic sickness and caregiving benefits into next spring will come with a price tag of about $873.6 million, the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) estimates.