Commons to sit as Liberals seek to extend wage subsidy, make disability payment

OTTAWA — The House of Commons meets today as the Liberals seek to pass a bill to extend their wage-subsidy program, send a special payment to people with disabilities and extend some legal deadlines for court cases.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau says the wage-subsidy program needs to be extended to December and have its criteria loosened a little, so business can re-open and employ workers even if trade is slow at first as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

The payments of up to $600 for people with disabilities and the court extensions were elements of a bill the Liberals couldn’t get through the House of Commons in June.

It would also have added new penalties for defrauding the Canada Emergency Response Benefit program and the Liberals couldn’t find another party to back it.

The Bloc Quebecois says its MPs will support this new bill, making its passage all but certain.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2020.

The Canadian Press