In the middle of the second wave of the pandemic and with the holidays fast approaching, Canadians are still struggling to figure out how they’ll get through these tough times, according to a media release from the federal New Democratic Party. Instead of helping families cope with the pandemic, the Liberals are unfairly penalizing workers for applying for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) in good faith while letting large corporations off the hook, for the Liberal’s own mistake, the release stated.
“The Liberals are demanding that people who struggled throughout the pandemic repay the money they received, but they have no problem with giving money to big corporations who then turned around and paid massive dividends to their rich shareholders,” stated North Island-Powell River MP Rachel Blaney. “It’s pretty clear who the Liberals are concerned about protecting, and it’s not everyday Canadians.”
The release stated that in April, the Liberals voted in favor of a motion that “those who have applied in good faith for and received benefits through CERB or other programs to support them through this crisis will not be unjustly penalized.” And yet, months later, they are penalizing people who barely made ends meet, the release added.
On December 11, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh wrote to the prime minister asking him to stop the Liberals’ CERB claw back.
The release stated that since day one, the NDP has been fighting to make sure no one that needs help falls through the cracks. The party states it will keep fighting against the Liberals’ CERB claw back and ensure families, workers, students, seniors and small businesses receive the help they’ve been promised.
