Federal

Government Adjusts the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy

On April 8, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Federal, Federal Highlight, Institute, Public Safety

A key plank of the federal government’s economic response to COVID-19, the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), received adjustments to address program gaps and opened the program to private sector employers, not-for-profits, and charities. The Prime Minister stated he is hoping to have the program open for

Implementation Challenges Government Responses to COVID-19

On April 6, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Education, Federal, Finance, Health Care, Institute, Our Commentary, Provincial, Public Safety

As governments across Canada maintain and extend public health measures to control the spread of COVID-19, they are also facing significant implementation challenges to deliver relief and support measures. For the federal government, this week marks a shift to program implementation as applications open for the Canada

Government Unveils COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Details

On April 1, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Federal, Federal Highlight, Finance, Institute, Our Commentary

As April begins, more details were released on the federal government’s largest-ever economic program – the running tally for all recovery measures now exceeds $255 billion. Direct supports to Canadians now top $105 billion, with the lion’s share of that spend through two key mechanisms: $71 billion

Building Pipelines: Advancing Keystone XL and Canadian Industrial Capacity

On March 31, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Education, Energy and Environment, Federal, Finance, Health Care, Institute, Natural Resources, Our Commentary, Provincial, Public Safety

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced an investment to accelerate the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The province’s investment includes $1.5 billion in equity in 2020 and a $6 billion loan guarantee in 2021, enabling immediate construction on the Alberta portion of the pipeline. The project is

Federal Government Broadens Access to Wage Subsidy

On March 30, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Federal, Federal Highlight, Finance, Health Care, Institute, Our Thinking

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the broad eligibility requirements for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy: Businesses will be eligible if their revenues have decreased by at least 30 per cent due to COVID-19 The wage subsidy will be available to non-profit organizations and charities, as well as

March 27 Update: Second Wave of Federal Support for Businesses

On March 27, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Federal, Finance, Institute, Our Thinking

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced additional supports to Canadian businesses and workers under the COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, providing up to an additional $65 billion in direct support, and an additional $30 billion in deferred taxes and duties. The federal government will be increasing the small business

Canada Approves COVID-19 Emergency Package

On March 26, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Federal, Federal Highlight, Finance, Health Care, Institute, Our Thinking

After negotiations between the government and opposition parties all day Tuesday and into the early hours of Wednesday, both the House of Commons and Senate have passed the Trudeau government’s emergency financial legislation, Bill C-13, the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act (CERA). Governor General Julie Payette gave the

COVID-19 responses accelerate ahead of First Ministers’ call

On March 23, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Federal, Health Care, Institute, Municipal, Our Commentary, Provincial, Public Safety, Uncategorized

As the number of COVID-19 cases in Canada surpassed 2,000, Prime Minister Trudeau announced additional measures to fight the spread of COVID-19: The Prime Minister will have a call with First Ministers this evening to discuss coordinating approaches and messaging with the provinces and territories. $192 million in new projects prioritized under the

Federal Plan Mobilizes Industry to Combat COVID-19

On March 20, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Federal, Institute, Our Thinking, Provincial

Prime Minister Trudeau made three key announcements: Confirmed the closure of the Canada/US border to non-essential travel as of midnight tonight Introduced Canada’s Plan to Mobilize Industry to fight COVID-19, providing support to mobilize Canada’s industrial base and innovators to meet demand with domestic production and leveraging

COVID-19: Governments Move Quickly in the War on COVID-19

On March 19, 2020 / Economy and Jobs, Federal, Institute, Our Thinking

In addition to the measures announced over the past 48 hours, federal, provincial and territorial governments demonstrated they are moving quickly to find ways to mobilize private sector resources to fight COVID-19 while ensuring the basic needs of Canadians are met. This means opportunity for the private