On July 17, 2020, the Canadian federal government announced proposed changes and amendments to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (“CEWS”) intended to make the program more accessible to employers who may not have been eligible for support under the program as it was initially designed, and to provide more specific support to employers as they return their workers to the workplace. Bill C-20, An Act respecting further COVID-19 measures, was introduced on July 20, 2020, which is intended to implement the government’s planned changes to the CEWS, and other supports in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As currently drafted, Bill C-20 would:
Bill C-20 will also make changes to various pieces of legislation, including the Pension Act, to authorize the disclosure of information for the purpose of the administration of a program to provide a one-time payment to persons with disabilities for reasons related to COVID-19. Similar changes will also be made to the Income Tax Act to facilitate this payment.
Bill C-20 also seeks to enact Time Limits and Other Periods Act (COVID-19), in order to address the need for flexibility in relation to certain time limits established by legislation that have been difficult or impossible to meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This would suspend certain court proceeding time limitations by a maximum of 6 months, and would provide ministers with the temporary ability to suspend or extend certain time limits by a maximum of 6 months.
Bill C-20 is has been through its first reading in Parliament. We are carefully reviewing the details of the legislation, and will provide a more fulsome analysis of its terms in the coming days.
If you have any questions about this article, please contact Sari Wiens, Ilan Burkes, Nicole Toye or Jessica Fairbairn.
Note to our Readers: Information regarding COVID-19 is rapidly evolving. We are working to bring you up-to-date articles as the legal issues develop and to keep our previous posts updated. Given that the legal issues related to COVID-19 are constantly changing, if you are looking for legal advice or are dealing with an issue in relation to COVID-19, please contact your Harris lawyer or a member of our COVID-19 response team: Sari Wiens, Ilan Burkes, Nicole Toye or Jessica Fairbairn.
To read our most recent articles and other updates on COVID-19, visit our COVID-19 Updates page.
On July 17, 2020, the Canadian federal government announced proposed changes and amendments to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (“CEWS”) intended to make the program more accessible to employers who may not have been eligible for support under the program as it was initially designed, and to provide more specific support to employers as they … Continued