Liberals set to introduce bill with targeted pandemic aid
BNN Bloomberg
The Trudeau Liberals are scheduled to introduce a new aid bill this afternoon that aims to provide targeted financial support to businesses still recovering from the pandemic.
OTTAWA -- The Trudeau Liberals are scheduled to introduce a new aid bill this afternoon that aims to provide targeted financial support to businesses still recovering from the pandemic.
The bill listed on Wednesday's agenda for the House of Commons would also send income-support payments to workers who find themselves off the job because of a public health order.
It's one of four pieces of legislation that the government wants passed through the Commons before the middle of December when MPs are scheduled to go on their winter break.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland outlined the broad details of the plan in late October when the Liberals decided to let a trio of special pandemic benefits expire.
Wage and rent subsidies for businesses would be more generous and targeted to still-hurting tourism and hospitality sectors under the government's previous proposal, so long as they can prove a prolonged and deep revenue loss.
The government also wanted to extend to May a hiring credit for companies that add to their payrolls by boosting wages, rehiring laid-off workers or new hires, which doesn't require as deep a revenue loss to qualify.
