Benefits Canada Publishes an Article by Rayaz Khan on CEWS
Rayaz Khan, an associate at Hicks Morley has authored “Expert panel: The ins and outs of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy one year on” published in Benefits Canada Magazine on March 30, 2021. The article covers Canada’s initial reaction to the pandemic, the introduction of the wage subsidy, and an update on the current state of the benefit program.
Approximately three weeks after the declaration of the pandemic by the WHO, the federal government introduced the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy on March 30, 2020, and was initially set to be in place retroactively from March 15 to June 6, 2020. Since its initial introduction, the program has undergone various amendments to further assist businesses. Amendments include:
- changes to eligibility criteria
- applicable subsidy rates
- introduction of base and top-up subsidy rates
- different rates applicable to active employees and employees on “leave with pay”
- an extension to the period of applicability