Time is of the essence: Job numbers show urgent need to deliver wage subsidy

(OTTAWA) – April 9, 2020 – The Canadian Chamber of Commerce issued the following statement regarding today’s unemployment figures from Statistics Canada:

“As expected, today’s job numbers were historically bad. More than a million Canadians have lost their livelihoods during the COVID-19 crisis.

Countless more jobs will be lost if we can’t urgently get employers the wage supports they need. However, businesses are still weeks away from receiving the funds they require to support their employees. 

We have an opportunity to help Canadians keep their jobs, and perhaps more importantly, to have jobs to return to once the crisis passes, but only if we actually deliver the assistance that has been promised without delay.

We ask Parliament to rapidly approve the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and we urge the government to get these urgently-needed funds moving to businesses now.”

About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce – Because Business Matters

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce helps build the businesses that support our families, our communities and our country. We do this by influencing government policy, by providing essential business services and by connecting businesses to information they can use, to opportunities for growth and to a network of local chambers, businesses, decision-makers and peers from across the country, in every sector of the economy and at all levels of government, as well as internationally. We are unapologetic in our support for business and the vital role it plays in building and sustaining our great nation.

For more information, please contact:

Phil Taylorptaylor@chamber.ca (preferred and fastest response time)