Liberals, Conservatives say they’ll stop using COVID-19 wage-subsidy program

The Liberal and Conservative parties say they’ll no longer use the federal government’s wage-subsidy program.

The program to subsidize worker pay by up to 75 per cent was meant to help employers keep workers on even if the COVID-19 pandemic had battered their revenues.

All the major federal parties except the Bloc Quebecois took advantage, citing steep declines in donations.

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Liberal party spokesman Braeden Caley says his party stopped accepting the wage subsidy at the end of August, now that fundraising has stabilized.

Conservative MP Peter Kent says in a Facebook post that not only have the Tories stopped taking the subsidy, they’ll repay what they’ve received under the program.

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The New Democrats say they will continue using the subsidy.

Caley said the Liberals’ use of the subsidy meant that 80 party employees got to keep their jobs.