NDP respond to announcement that federal government will no longer ask self employed Canadians to repay CERB money

The NDP’s Critic for Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, MP Daniel Blaikie (Elmwood- Transcona), made the following statement:

“Today’s announcement came much later than it should have. In fact, the Liberal government should never have asked Canadians to pay for their mistakes in the first place. Their unreasonable demand for CERB repayments needlessly jacked up the stress for Canadians in an already stressful time.

“Giving people wrong information and then threatening them with penalties is not how people should be treated by their government in a crisis. For Trudeau’s government to think that Canadians on the financial brink have $14,000 on hand to pay for government incompetence is completely out of touch. We know this put honest Canadians in the position of getting ready to sell the homes, their cars, their tools and other essential items.

“The NDP fought hard to make sure Canadians wouldn’t suffer because of the government’s lack of clarity and we’re glad to see they have acknowledged their mistake. However, they still need to do more. The Liberals should waive repayment for people with low incomes and for youth aging out of care.

“The NDP will continue to fight to make sure all Canadians get the help they need during this pandemic.”​