The Manitoba government is offering a bonus to Manitobans who head back to work — and agree to give up the federal government’s Canada Emergency Response Benefit — amid COVID-19.
Premier Brian Pallister said Tuesday the program will give Manitobans up to $2,000 in taxable money to return to the workplace.
“The Manitoba Job Restart program could help bring tens of thousands of Manitobans back to work safely and help our economy recover,” said Pallister in a government release.
“The federal government is currently subsidizing the wages of more than eight million workers in Canada through the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB).
“While these programs have helped Canadians through financial challenges caused by the pandemic, CERB has become a barrier preventing some from returning to work.”
Pallister said the plan, dubbed the Manitoba Job Restart program, will provide an initial payment of $500 plus three additional bi-weekly payments for $500 each, over six weeks — as long as participants voluntarily stop collecting the federal government’s CERB or CESB supports.
Pallister said the provincially funded program will take away a disincentive for people on the federal programs to return to work. The Canada Emergency Response Benefit is only available to people who have lost jobs or seen their hours cut, and who now make less than $1,000 per month.
“It’s become increasingly evident that the (federal) program … is actually preventing some Canadians from returning to work on a full-time basis,” the premier said, although he did not provide provincial data.
“Our program is designed so that people don’t suffer financially when they go back to work.”
Both the Manitoba Liberals and the provincial NDP quickly attacked the program Tuesday.
Liberal leader Dougald Lamont called it “overly complicated and filled with red tape.”
“It does not address part-time workers and will do little to help restart the Manitoba economy,” said Lamont in an emailed statement.
“The PCs are baselessly attacking CERB, when this is the program that actually helped Canadians through the pandemic while the Pallister Government was missing in action.”
Manitoba NDP leader Wab Kinew accused Pallister of “trying to shame people on CERB to go back to jobs that aren’t there.”
“(H)e’s made $860 million in cuts across Manitoba’s public sector, cut thousands of jobs and left businesses to fend for themselves with no support during the pandemic,” said Kinew in an email.
“His so-called support programs have been so unsuccessful that most of the funds allocated remain unspent.
“The fact the Premier appears to not know how many Manitobans could even qualify for this program shows just how little effort he’s put into it–he’s not interested in actually helping families or businesses, he just wants to look like he is.”
The government release stressed the program is voluntary and “and there is no obligation for Manitobans to stop receiving CERB or CESB benefits if they choose not to participate.”
To be eligible the government says applicants must:
- actively return to work in Manitoba to a job with at least 30 hours per week in order to be eligible for the first $500 payment;
- complete a simple declaration for each of the following two weeks certifying that they are still working at least 30 hours per week in order to receive the next three $500 payments;
- no longer receive CERB, CESB or similar COVID-19 related support from the federal government;
- follow Manitoba’s COVID-19 health guidelines in the workplace; and
- continue residing permanently in Manitoba and be legally entitled to work in Canada.
The government’s release says funding for the Manitoba Job Restart program will come from unspent money from the $240-million Manitoba Gap Protection Plan and Manitoba Summer Student Recovery Jobs Program.
Pallister said further funding will be made available if there is significant uptake.
Applications for the program will be accepted starting Friday through July 31. Details are available on the government’s website.
Last week the government expanded its Manitoba Summer Student Jobs Recovery Program to allow employers to apply to receive funding to hire or rehire up to five employees of any age amid COVID-19.
The program was originally designed to pay for 50 per cent of the total wages paid between June 18 until Aug. 30 up to a maximum of $5,000 per worker, and $25,000 per business.
On Tuesday the premier extended the program to include those hired after June 1 as well.
–With files from The Canadian Press
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