To support workers and help businesses keep their employees and protect the economy, the Finance Minister Bill Morneau, announced the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) on March 25, 2020.

Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)

• Taxable benefit to provide $2,000 a month for up to four months for workers who lose their income due to COVID-19 pandemic
• Cover Canadians who have lost their job, are sick, quarantined, or taking care of someone who is sick with COVID-19
• Cover working parents who must stay home without pay to care for children who are sick or at home because of school and daycare closures
• Cover wage earners
• Cover contract workers
• Cover self-employed individuals not eligible for Employment Insurance (EI)
• Cover workers who are still employed, but are not receiving income because of disruptions to their work situation due to COVID-19
• Cover people who have ceased working due to COVID-19, whether they are EI-eligible or not

Timeline:

• Canadians would begin to receive their CERB payments within 10 days of application.
• CERB would be paid every four weeks and be available from March 15, 2020 until October 3, 2020.

For detailed information, visit, Govt. of CANADA