Federal COVID-19 supports expire today as Ottawa says 'extraordinary' measures no longer needed
CBC
Canada's last remaining COVID-19 emergency benefits expire today and the federal government says it has no plans to renew its unprecedented support programs, created in response to the pandemic.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's office says Canada's surging job growth and record-low unemployment rate is evidence that ongoing pandemic support will not be needed beyond May 7.
"From the onset of the pandemic, our relentless focus was on jobs — on keeping Canadians employed and on keeping their employers afloat," Freeland's press secretary Adrienne Vaupshas said in an email.
"With our economy in this position, the time for extraordinary COVID support is now over," Vaupshas added, echoing a declaration made by Freeland during her introduction of the 2022 budget in April.
Public health officials are also saying they're cautiously optimistic about signs that transmission levels are on the decline.
During a Friday news conference, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Canada is experiencing "decreasing transmission in many areas." Some indicators, such as wastewater virus levels, indicate that the Omicron wave is "showing signs of a potential plateau," Tam added.
The expiration of benefits means workers will no longer be paid by the government should they need to self-isolate due to a positive COVID test, or if they have to leave work to care for a child due to sickness or pandemic-related school closures.
A program for workers forced off the job due to local lockdowns also ends today.
Programs designed to support hard-hit businesses, such as one that subsidized a portion of employee wages, are also ending.
The following programs are among those expiring on May 7:
Applications for these programs can be made retroactively and will continue to be accepted by the government after May 7. Those applying for workers' benefits have 60 days to submit their claims, while businesses have 180 days.
Alyse Stuart, a union representative for the Fish, Food and Allied Workers in Newfoundland and Labrador, said Ottawa's decision to end the benefits ignores the pandemic's continued disruption of Atlantic Canada's fishing sector.
She described a wave of infections running through processing plants that are just now ramping up for the busy summer season.
Most workers in these facilities don't have access to paid sick days, Stuart said, which is forcing them into a difficult choice between self-isolating and missing paycheques or going to work while sick.
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