OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says large and small businesses, non-profits and charities will all be eligible for a 75-per-cent subsidy on wages meant to cushion the blow from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Employers will have to show that their revenues have fallen by at least 30 per cent.
The wages the subsidy covers will be capped at $847 a week, he says.
Speaking outside his Ottawa residence, Trudeau says the size of the company will not bear on whether it qualifies for the help.
He is asking companies that get the subsidy to rehire workers who might have been laid off over the last two weeks, and ensure that all the money through the program goes to employees.
Trudeau says companies that can pay their employees without federal help should do so, warning businesses that any abuse of federal financial aid will have serious consequences.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2020.