Bill C-2 (Historical)

An Act to provide further support in response to COVID-19

This bill is from the 44th Parliament, 1st session, which ended in January 2025.

Sponsor

Status

This bill has received Royal Assent and is now law.

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament has also written a full legislative summary of the bill.

Part 1 amends the Income Tax Act and the Income Tax Regulations to extend subsidies under the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS), and the Canada Recovery Hiring Program until May 7, 2022, as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Support under the CEWS and the CERS would be available to the tourism and hospitality sector and to the hardest-hit organizations that face significant revenue declines. Eligible entities under these rules would need to demonstrate a revenue decline over the course of 12 months of the pandemic, as well as a current-month revenue decline. In addition, organizations subject to a qualifying public health restriction would be eligible for support, if they have one or more locations subject to a public health restriction lasting for at least seven days that requires them to cease some or all of their activities. Part 1 also allows the government to extend the subsidies by regulation but no later than July 2, 2022.
Part 2 enacts the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit Act to authorize the payment of the Canada worker lockdown benefit in regions where a lockdown is imposed for reasons related to COVID-19. It also makes consequential amendments to the Income Tax Act and the Income Tax Regulations .
Part 3 amends the Canada Recovery Benefits Act to, among other things,
(a) extend the period within which a person may be eligible for a Canada recovery sickness benefit or a Canada recovery caregiving benefit;
(b) increase the maximum number of weeks in respect of which a Canada recovery sickness benefit is payable to a person from four to six; and
(c) increase the maximum number of weeks in respect of which a Canada recovery caregiving benefit is payable to a person from 42 to 44.
It also makes a related amendment to the Canada Recovery Benefits Regulations .
Part 3.1 provides for the completion of a performance audit and tabling of a report by the Auditor General of Canada in respect of certain benefits.
Part 4 amends the Canada Labour Code to, among other things, create a regime that provides for a leave of absence related to COVID-19 under which an employee may take
(a) up to six weeks if they are unable to work because, among other things, they have contracted COVID-19, have underlying conditions that in the opinion of certain persons or entities would make them more susceptible to COVID-19 or have isolated themselves on the advice of certain persons or entities for reasons related to COVID-19; and
(b) up to 44 weeks if they are unable to work because, for certain reasons related to COVID-19, they must care for a child who is under the age of 12 or a family member who requires supervised care.
It also makes a related amendment to the Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1 .

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-2s:

C-2 (2020) COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act

C-2 (2019) Law Appropriation Act No. 3, 2019-20

C-2 (2015) Law An Act to amend the Income Tax Act

C-2 (2013) Law Respect for Communities Act

Votes

Dec. 16, 2021 Passed 3rd reading and adoption of Bill C-2, An Act to provide further support in response to COVID-19

Dec. 2, 2021 Passed 2nd reading of Bill C-2, An Act to provide further support in response to COVID-19

Debate Summary

This is a computer-generated summary of the speeches below. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.

Bill C-2 aims to provide further COVID-19 support through targeted measures, including extending existing benefits like the Canada recovery hiring program, sickness benefit, and caregiving benefit, while introducing new programs such as the Canada worker lockdown benefit, tourism and hospitality recovery program, and hardest-hit business recovery program. The bill intends to shift from broad-based support to focused assistance for sectors and individuals still significantly affected by the pandemic, offering wage and rent subsidies and income support in the event of new lockdowns. It seeks to balance economic recovery with prudent government spending and support those most impacted by ongoing public health restrictions.

Liberal

Targeted COVID support: Bill C-2 is designed to target specific sectors of the economy still affected by the pandemic, providing crucial assistance to those who need it most as the country transitions from broad emergency measures to more focused support programs.
Canada worker lockdown benefit: The bill proposes the Canada worker lockdown benefit, offering $300 a week to eligible workers impacted by local lockdowns, including those not eligible for EI, and would be in place until May 2022, with retroactive application to October 24, 2021.
Extending recovery benefits: The bill seeks to extend the Canada recovery sickness benefit and the Canada recovery caregiving benefit until May 7, 2022, increasing the maximum duration of each by two weeks to provide continued support for those who need to stay home due to illness or caregiving responsibilities.
Support for businesses: The bill would extend the Canada recovery hiring program until May 7, 2022, at a 50% subsidy rate and introduce the tourism and hospitality recovery program and the hardest-hit business recovery program to assist businesses, particularly in the tourism sector, facing significant revenue declines due to public health measures.

Conservative

Bill C-2 is insufficient:
Calls for fiscal responsibility: The Conservatives call for a return to sound money, an end to cash printing, and controlled government spending to combat inflation and create a more affordable cost of living for Canadians.
Government has been profligate: The Conservatives are critical of the Liberal government's unprecedented spending, asserting that Canada's debt-to-GDP ratio increased far more than other G20 countries, indicating fiscal irresponsibility.
Address labor shortages: The Conservatives argue that the government's programs disincentivize work and suggest the opposite approach of incentivizing job creation and business growth to address the labor shortage and boost the economy.
Prioritize committee reviews: The Conservatives express concern over the fast-tracking of Bill C-2 and highlight the need for thorough reviews by the finance committee to ensure responsible and targeted spending and address concerns about fraud and misuse of funds.

NDP

Opposes CRB cuts: The NDP believes the Canada recovery benefit should have been maintained at $500 per week. They opposed the cut to $300 per week and criticized the government for ending the CERB with only two days' notice and for not extending the CRB until November 20, as they had the option to do.
Targeted approach fails: The NDP argues that the government's targeted approach to pandemic support fails, particularly for self-employed individuals in sectors like tourism and hospitality, who are not covered by the wage subsidy program.
Low-income CERB amnesty: The NDP calls for a low-income CERB repayment amnesty, highlighting the unfairness of demanding repayment from those who were encouraged to apply for help and now face financial hardship due to clawbacks.
Extend CRB and sick leave: The NDP advocates for the extension of the Canada recovery benefit to $500 per week and the provision of 10 days of paid sick leave for all workers, emphasizing the need to support people during the ongoing pandemic.

Bloc

General support for bill: The Bloc generally supports the bill because it believes in effective spending and opposes waste, viewing government intervention with income support measures as the least bad solution during economic downturns.
Need for proper study: The Bloc emphasizes the importance of thoroughly studying the bill's provisions in committee to ensure the proposed percentages for sector assistance are carefully targeted and appropriate, with input from various groups and sectors.
Exclusion of self-employed workers: A significant concern for the Bloc is the conspicuous absence of support for self-employed workers, particularly those in the cultural sector, and questions why they were left out of the bill, needing assistance now rather than at some undefined point in the future.
Government's inaction: The Bloc criticizes the Liberal government for creating an urgent situation by delaying the recall of Parliament and prioritizing an election, which has led to a rushed consideration of the bill, and suggests the government should take responsibility.

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An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19Government Orders

December 2nd, 2021 / 3:35 p.m.

The Speaker Anthony Rota

I want to remind members that when they are voting, they must remain in their seats until the vote count has been reported. I thank the hon. member for North Island—Powell River.