COVID-19 Update: Government Stimulus Announcement
The Prime Minister of Canada announced today a stimulus package of up to $82 billion to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on individuals and businesses in Canada. Trudeau was very clear that these measures are not exhaustive and more initiatives will follow.
CSAE continues to take the immediate concerns of the association sector forward to government, including the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Canada. Our advocacy partner, Impact Public Affairs, has been making the case to government that CSAE members and the association sector as a whole require access to funding.
We are in active discussion with a number of partners, including those in tourism, as well as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Imagine Canada, to leverage our collective voice. We encourage associations to use the government letter template previously provided to apply further pressure on decision makers. This link will provide the necessary email addresses to make things a little easier in an otherwise challenging time.
The following support programs were mentioned in the Prime Minister’s address. Some of these initiatives may help alleviate the pressure associations may experience from an employee support and business continuity perspective.
- Support programs for workers – Emergency Care Benefit, Emergency Support Benefit
- Temporary Canada Child Benefit increase
- GST relief
- Moratorium on repayment of student loans
- Doubling the funding of the Reaching Home program for homeless individuals
- Increased funding for shelters
- An Indigenous community support fund
- Extended deadline for those who have a CRA payment
- Business supports including tax deferrals and wage subsidy
Click here for further detail.
CSAE will continue to keep the importance of the association sector front and centre as we keep members informed.
