Thank you.
We would like to thank Chair Easter and the committee for the opportunity to present. We're here today to talk about the Canada emergency wage subsidy.
We commend Parliament for its quick action back in the spring of 2020, enacting the first wage subsidy legislation within just two weeks of the pandemic being declared and then following up with the more comprehensive Canada emergency wage subsidy shortly thereafter, with several other amendments along the way. The CEWS has been a lifeline, particularly for small and medium enterprises, which play a pivotal role in sustaining Canada’s economy. It continues to do great work in keeping the economy afloat and helping it grow.
Our main concern is the lack of flexibility that remains in the program and the inability of Canadian businesses to access it if they miss the application deadline or make a mistake in their filing. Such inflexibility seems contrary to both the purpose of the program and the spirit of the Income Tax Act in which these rules are found. Our perspective is that the lack of flexibility is impacting deserving companies in need across Canada in every sector, whether it be hospitality, tourism, fishers, restaurant owners, manufacturers, designers or construction workers.
We are respectfully requesting that Parliament introduce new legislation to allow for CEWS and CERS claims to be filed or amended past the deadline. We’ve provided suggested wording for that legislation as an appendix to our original letter to Chair Easter. We also ask that such an extension apply similarly to the Canada emergency rent subsidy, given that it also has a hard deadline.
I'll now pass the presentation over to Tara.