Canadian PM Trudeau announces $82bn Covid-19 emergency package

Emergency
Montreal, March 18, 2020 (dpa/NAN) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a massive 82-billion-dollar (56.5 billion dollar) aid package on Wednesday to help Canadians and businesses struggling with the economic impact of the Covid-19 global pandemic.

The package includes 27 billion dollars in direct income supports and wage subsidies, and another 55 billion to help business liquidity through tax deferrals.

Trudeau, who is working from home after his wife tested positive for Covid-19, said the 82-billion-aid package represents more than 3 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product.

The measures include temporarily boosting Canada Child Benefit payments to parents and introducing an Emergency Care Benefit of up to 900 Canadian dollars bi-weekly for up to 15 weeks to provide income support to workers who must stay home and do not have access to paid sick leave.

Ottawa also announced that Canadian businesses will be allowed to defer taxes owed to the federal government to the end of August and small businesses will get temporary wage subsidies for up to three months.

“This wide-ranging support will help ensure Canadians can pay for rent and groceries, and help businesses continue to pay their employees and their bills during this time of uncertainty,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau said the cabinet is also deliberating whether to invoke the Emergencies Act, which would grant the federal government sweeping powers to regulate the movement of people and goods within the country during a state of emergency.

As of Wednesday, there were at least 599 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Canada, and more than 200,000 globally. (dpa/NAN)
FAT/ABI
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Edited by Fatima Sule/Ali Baba-Inuwa