The Government of Canada introduced multiple temporary social security and financial aid programs in response to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. The initial CA$82-billion aid package was announced on March 18, 2020 by Justin Trudeau.

The first measures were implemented when the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act received royal assent from Governor General Julie Payette on March 25, 2020.

Modifications to existing programs

Existing federal social security programs were modified to provide additional financial support to their recipients. Canada Child Benefit payments were given a one-time increase of $300 per child, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) credit for the 2019 tax year was doubled, and personal income tax deadlines for 2019 were extended.

Catherine McKenna, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, also announced on April 16 that the federal government was seeking "shovel-ready" infrastructure projects to receive stimulus funding.

Income support programs

CERB (March – September 2020)

The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB; ) was a program that provided a taxable benefit of per month for Canadian residents facing unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Initially announced as providing a maximum of four months' financial support, the federal government announced a further two months of support in June 2020 and another month in August 2020. The benefit is jointly administered by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), with eligible persons either applying through ESDC's Service Canada online portal or through the CRA online portal. To be eligible, applicants must attest they: did not quit their job voluntarily, earned at least in the 2019 tax year or the preceding 12 months, have stopped working or are working reduced hours due to COVID-19, and are earning less than in employment or self-employment income.

Within one week of the CERB program's launch in April 2020, nearly 3.5 million Canadians applied for this benefit; this grew to 7.12 million by April 24. On April 15, eligibility for CERB was expanded to include seasonal workers, persons who had exhausted their Employment Insurance (EI) regular or sickness benefits, and those who have returned to work but still earn less than per month due to reduced hours or lower demand.

Employment minister Carla Qualtrough announced on July 31, 2020 that the CERB would be wound down following a final extension of one month. CERB recipients who are still unemployed will be transitioned to the regular EI system and those who do not qualify for EI will be transitioned into one of three new recovery benefit programs. CERB was ended on September 26, 2020, and a revamped EI program was implemented. Approximately 8.9 million Canadians applied for CERB by its end date. In 2022 the Auditor General of Canada, Karen Hogan, conducted a review into the CERB fund and concluded that "the federal government effectively delivered emergency COVID-19 benefits during the pandemic" but that "deciding to not front-end verification resulted in $4.6 billion in overpayments to ineligible individuals." There are reports of mismanagement,Feds mum on who's to blame for $8B in fraudulent CERB payments: Report Accessed 28 July 2024 fraud and a number of scams related to CERB.

CERB repayment In late 2020, the CRA sent out 441,000 letters asking for full or partial repayment of the CERB to Canadians, due to ineligibility. These individuals were urged to repay the benefit by December 31, 2020, to avoid tax issues. Confusion on eligibility arose from language used to describe who could receive the CERB with the requirement being $5,000 in net income vs. $5,000 gross income. The CRA later admitted the semantics were 'unclear'.

CESB (May – August 2020) Due to the lack of summer employment available for post-secondary students or graduating high school students, the Canadian government introduced the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB; ) as a counterpart to CERB to help students. Students who cannot find employment or are unable to work due to the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible for CA$1,250 per month from May through August 2020. CESB applicants with a disability or caring for dependents receive an additional $750, increasing their monthly amount to the equivalent of a CERB payment.

Recovery Benefits (September 2020 – October 2021)

CRB

On October 12, 2020, the federal government rolled out a new income support program, the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), designed to support those who do not normally qualify for EI (for example, the self-employed). The benefit paid a pre-taxed (at 10%) $500 per week for up to 38 weeks; over 240,000 Canadians applied to the program on its first day of launching. To be eligible Canadians must have been unemployed or have had a 50% reduction in average weekly income compared to the previous year due to COVID-19. If a participant made more than $38,000 annual salary, $0.50 of every dollar earned on the CRB would have to be paid back if the participant was still taking it.

The CRB was available for eligible individuals for an allocated amount of time between September 27, 2020 and September 25, 2021. Individuals who have travelled internationally were not eligible to receive the benefit for any period where they were not working due to mandatory quarantine requirements.

In March 2021, the government extended the CRB benefit to 50 weeks (25 periods). The first 42 weeks (21 periods) provided $1000 ($900 pre-taxed) every two-week period, and the final eight weeks (four periods) provided $600 ($540 pre-taxed). The program was scheduled to end on September 25, 2021. In August 2021, the government extended the program again to 54 weeks (27 periods) in October 2021.

CRSB The Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) provides $500 per week (2 weeks maximum) for workers who: (a) "are unable to work for at least 50% of the week because they contracted COVID-19;" (b) "are self-isolated for reasons related to COVID-19;" or (c) "have underlying conditions, are undergoing treatments or have contracted other sicknesses that, in the opinion of a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner, person in authority, government or public health authority, would make them more susceptible to COVID-19." Individuals who have travelled internationally are not eligible to receive the benefit for any period where they are not working due to mandatory quarantine requirements.

CRCB

Another program, the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) supports Canadians that have been working but have to take a break to care for dependents (a child below 12 years of age or a disabled family member). The benefit only applies if schools and care centres are closed, or the dependent fell sick, or contracted COVID-19. Individuals who have travelled internationally are not eligible to receive the benefit for any period where they are not working due to mandatory quarantine requirements.

Worker lockdown benefits (October 2021 – May 2022)

In October 2021, the federal government created the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit (CWLB). The programs planned to provide 300 dollars per month for workers who cannot work because their workplace faced a local lockdown. The program is set to run from 24 October 2021 to 7 May 2022. The program was expanded on 22 December to also cover workplaces whose capacity was reduced by 50% due to provincial restrictions. However, these workers were required to prove that they also lost at least 50% of their revenue because of these measures. The program closed for applications on 18 May 2022.

Employer/business support Canada Emergency Business Account The Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA; ) provides emergency interest-free loans to small businesses and nonprofit organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this program is to ensure that these businesses have access to sufficient capital to remain solvent during the pandemic. CEBA was implemented in the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, No. 2 which was introduced by Finance Minister Bill Morneau and passed in Parliament on April 11, 2020.

The budget for the program was set for , offering loans of financed by Export Development Canada. Businesses apply for CEBA loans through their current financial institution, which administer the loan and submit required information to EDC. Businesses that repay at least 75% of the loan balance () by December 31, 2022 will have any remaining balance forgiven. The size of the loans could be increased, along with the amount forgivable. The due date could also be moved into 2024 if need be.

In November 2023, Ottawa accountant Moe Tabesh initiated a petition with over 17,000 signatures to urge the Canadian government to forgive pandemic loans from the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA), reflecting the financial hardships of nearly 900,000 other small businesses and non-profits. The move underscored the widespread difficulty in repaying the $49 billion distributed, as many businesses continued grappling with post-pandemic economic challenges.

Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS; ) is a program created by the Government of Canada to provide financial support for businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent large layoffs. CEWS allows eligible employers to receive a 75% subsidy on each of their employees' wages (up to their first $58,700) for 12 weeks retroactive to March 15. The CEWS is targeted "at businesses with revenue declines of at least 15 per cent in March, and 30 per cent in May and June."

The program was announced on 1 April 2020, as an expanded version of a previously proposed temporary wage subsidy. The Parliament of Canada reconvened on 11 April 2020 to pass the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, No. 2 . Several large employers which had laid off employees due to the economic effects of the pandemic announced they would re-hire workers in response to CEWS. Air Canada announced because of the CEWS it would rehire (backdated to 15 March) 16,000 airline staff that were laid off due to the pandemic.

Business Credit Availability Program The Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP), which was announced on 11 May 2020, consists of guaranteed loans at commercial rates of between CA$6–80 million. It had seen as of mid-June 2020 only 400 applications. Administered by Export Development Canada and Business Development Canada, the program is the responsibility of the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, Mary Ng.

The program is available at various banks and credit unions until June 2021.

Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy The Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) provides rent and mortgage support for qualifying businesses, non-profit organizations, or charities, affected by COVID-19.

Available from September 27, 2020 until June 2021, the subsidy helps qualifying organizations who have experienced a drop in revenue due to the pandemic, paying for part of their commercial rent or property expenses. CERS provides payments directly to renters and property owners, without requiring the participation of a landlord.

Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility The Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF; ) provides government-backed bridge financing to large Canadian employers through the Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corporation (CEEFC)—which was formed as a subsidiary of the Canada Development Investment Corporation (CDEV) specifically to administer the LEEFF.