This morning the Prime Minister announced an expansion of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) that directly responds to FCM’s advocacy for our rural members.
Retroactive to March 15, the CERB’s eligibility rules will expand in order to:
- Allow people to earn up to $1,000 per month while collecting the CERB.
- Extend the CERB to seasonal workers who have exhausted their EI regular benefits and are unable to undertake their regular seasonal work as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
- Extend the CERB to workers who have recently exhausted their EI regular benefits and are unable to find a job or return to work because of COVID-19.
FCM has welcomed the CERB as a lifeline for millions of Canadians in our communities. It provides up to $2,000 every four weeks for those who’ve lost jobs or cannot work due to COVID-19—whether they’re sick, quarantined, or caring for dependents at home.
We also heard you tell us that the CERB needs to support more people—including those earning small amounts as they support our rural communities through this pandemic. Volunteer firefighters protecting our communities when we need them the most. Rural leaders who’ve lost their primary jobs but soldier on, as volunteer or part-time municipal councillors, to keep essential service running and residents safe.
We brought that message straight to the federal government—and today’s news shows our message was heard. It’s also fresh motivation to continue working full-on to keep Canada’s pandemic response grounded in the local realities of all our communities.
Bill Karsten
FCM President
Ray Orb
Chair, FCM Rural Forum