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COVID-19 and the Economy


Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit

  • The Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) is an income support benefit for employees who have been unable to work due to the challenges of COVID-19 such as being sick, needing to self-isolate, or having a health condition that makes it more likely to contract COVID-19.
  • This page identifies the eligibility, details of payments and payment periods, details of applying and reapplying, tax information, and details of repaying CRSB.

Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit

  • The Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) is a financial support benefit for employees who are unable to work because they must care for a child under 12 years old or another family member who’s plans of care have been impacted due to COVID-19.
  • This page highlights the details of this benefit including eligibility criteria, payment and application information, and details of taxes and return payments.

Canadian Emergency Response Benefit

  • The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) was introduced in March 2020 and closed in December 2020 to financially help employed/self-employed Canadians who were impacted by COVID-19 and was one of the first financial supports offered to Canadians during the pandemic.
  • This page highlights the payments recipients received, details regarding taxes and the eligibility criteria of CERB. 

Presenting the Federal Budget 2021

  • This budget was aimed to help Canadian youth in their pursuits of a post-secondary education and obtaining employment after the recession caused by COVID-19.
  • Aspects of this budget include making student debt easier to pay off, investing in after-school programs, increasing student job opportunities, mental health supports, increase supports for Indigenous students to continue to attend school safely, and support for Indigenous-led post-secondary educational insti

Federal Budget 2021

  • This is the publication for the 2021 Federal Budget, which is a 725-page outline of the Canadian economic agenda for the upcoming year.
  • With the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19, this budget looks different from previous years.
  • This budget contains four parts, the first dealing with COVID-19 in maintaining the health and safety of Canadians while also supporting the recover

Auditor General Report: Emergency Response Benefit

  • This report conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada deals with the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) implemented in March of 2020 to aid workers who faced economic challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The aim of this audit was to reflect upon government activities and give advice for future activities in order to ensure their effectiveness and ability to address the problem in question.

Auditor General Report: Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy

  • This report conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada discusses the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, which was implemented for employers to be able to keep and rehire their employees throughout the COVID-19 pandemic when sectors of the economy (including many businesses) were being shut down.
  • This subsidy is one of the largest initiatives the federal government has ever undertaken, which is why this audit was important in determining whether the Depar

Canada Recovery Benefit

  • The Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) is one of the many income supports available to employees facing financial hardship throughout COVID-19 who are ineligible for Employment Insurance (EI).
  • This page outlines the eligibility criteria, details of eligibility periods, how and when to apply, how to ensure you continue to receive payments as long as you are still eligible, details on how this impacts taxes, and how to return/repay this benefit.

Canada Emergency Student Benefit

  • The Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) was created in May 2020 and closed September 2020 and was developed for students (post-secondary and high school) who did not fall into the CERB eligibility but who had their employment opportunities impacted by COVID-19.
  • This page provides details regarding eligibility, the amount paid to recipients, and tax/CRA details for those who received it.