Staggered Re-opening Should Inform Tailored Income Supports: Crisis Working Group on Household Income and Credit Support
May 26, 2020 – With re-opening strategies differing across the country, regional and industry variations need to be considered to create better-tailored income supports, says the C.D. Howe Institute’s Crisis Working Group on Household Income and Credit Support.
At their recent meeting, working group members discussed the need to apply a risk management lens to the re-opening of the economy and the need to shift away from a national one-size-fits-all income support plan. The group also considered policy options for modifying the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) while maintaining support for families and low-wage earners, and explored longer-term income support plans.
The group recommends:
A more targeted…No Easy Answers: Insights into Community Well-being among First Nations
Employment Key to Improving First Nations’ Community Well-Being Increased employment is crucial to improving the well-being of First Nations communities, and should be a high priority in the Prairie provinces which have the lowest employment rates and lowest per capita regional incomes across Canada. Author John Richards looks at data from Indigenous Services Canada’s Community Well-Being […] Schirle, Milligan, Skuterud – What April’s Jobs Data Shows For The Future
From: Tammy Schirle, Kevin Milligan and Mikal Skuterud To: Canadians Concerned about the Labour Market Date: May 13, 2020 Re: What April’s Jobs Data Shows for the Future The Canadian workforce tumbled even further in April with a speed never seen before in the Canadian economy. The Labour Force Survey revealed three million people have lost their jobs since […] Extending CEWS Smart Move, More to be Done: Crisis Working Group on Household Income and Credit Support
May 11, 2020 – Better utilization of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) will help support businesses and individuals during the gradual re-opening of the economy and maintain employer-employee relationships, says the C.D. Howe Institute’s Crisis Working Group on Household Income and Credit Support.
At their recent meeting, working group members identified factors contributing to the large utilization gap between the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and CEWS, highlighted the importance of timely and reliable data, and considered the financial needs of Canadians who will not qualify for Employment Insurance (EI) after exhausting CERB.
The group supports the federal government’s decision to…
Ken Boessenkool – Change The Child Tax Deduction To Address The Coming Childcare Shortage
From: Ken Boessenkool To: Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance Date: May 7, 2020 Re: Change the child tax deduction to address the coming childcare shortage Three related facts about the COVID-19 economic recession are becoming clearer. The most affected sectors are public facing sectors – largely the service sector; the most affected income group is the poor; and […] Phil Oreopoulos – Graduating During The Covid-19 Recession
From: Phil Oreopoulos To: Canada’s graduating students Date: April 30, 2020 Re: Graduating During the COVID-19 Recession The pandemic response means bleak job prospects for this year’s graduating students. There’s no sugar-coating that many will be unable to find full-time work after finishing high school or completing a postsecondary program. The weaker labour market will also have long-lasting effects. […] To reopen the economy, put curbs on the CERB – Financial Post Op-Ed
The Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) was an early and critical element in the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. The government first announced the CERB in late March, promising $2,000 a month for up to four months for workers who have lost their incomes as a result of the pandemic. In mid-April, it expanded eligibility to make the CERB available to people earning up to $1,000 per month and to workers whose EI benefits had run out.
Widely praised for providing immediate income support and helping contain the coronavirus by reducing pressure on lower-income people to work, the CERB made sense in an emergency. With attention increasingly turning to reopening the economy, however, the CERB is becoming a…
When the Smoke Clears: Tackling Disincentives to Work
April 27, 2020 – It’s time to consider the gradual winding down of emergency benefits and tackle disincentives to work, says the C.D. Howe Institute’s Crisis Working Group on Household Income and Credit Support.
Rather than extending the criteria for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to fill remaining support gaps, new targeted federal or provincial programs should be used to cover those still ineligible.
At their April 21 meeting, the group identified niche populations who are affected by COVID-19 but are falling through the cracks as they do not meet the CERB requirements, including working social assistance recipients and new entrants to the labour market. However, these support gaps should be…
Mawani, Hajee – Assessing How Ottawa’s New Wage Subsidy Lines Up With Ei And Cerb
From: Amin Mawani and Salim Hajee To: Concerned businesses and employees Date: April 27, 2020 Re: Assessing how Ottawa’s new wage subsidy lines up with EI and CERB The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program has opened and businesses need to incorporate the estimated level of after-tax financial assistance offered to their employees by the CEWS, Employment Insurance […] Risk Management Approach Integral to Back-to-Work Strategy: Crisis Working Group on Household Income and Credit Support
April 20, 2020 – Governments must employ a risk management approach to facilitate a gradual reopening of the economy, says the C.D. Howe Institute’s Crisis Working Group on Household Income and Credit Support.
At their April 14 meeting, members agreed that ending the lockdowns and restarting the economy will require a risk management approach on the part of governments, as they balance imperatives related to public health, healthcare utilization, the economy and public finance. Members also recognized that industry can play an enormous role in offering a way forward in the return-to-work strategy.
Best practices surrounding the reopening of the economy should include:
Cooperation across governments in…Don Drummond – Release Ei Data Fast To Track The Covid-19 Damage
From: Don Drummond To: Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Date: April 17, 2020 Re: Release EI data fast to track the COVID-19 damage Many economists and policy authorities appear to have initially underestimated the economic blow from the COVID-19 pandemic, just as health authorities missed the depth of the blow to public health. A […] Schirle, Milligan, Skuterud – Digging One Level Deeper Into March’s Workforce Numbers
From: Tammy Schirle, Kevin Milligan and Mikal Skuterud To: Canadians Concerned about the Labour Market Date: April 14, 2020 Re: Digging one level deeper into March’s workforce numbers The Canadian workforce tumbled historically in March. The Labour Force Survey revealed one million fewer people were employed compared to the previous month. Another 1.2 million who kept their jobs […]