Since Canada’s economic relief packages went out, they have refunded clawbacks from seniors, given self-employed Canadians repayment amnesty, and partially provided relief for students. And, despite all that, they are now pursuing low-income Canadians to reclaim their benefits through clawbacks, wage reductions, or impossible-to-repay fines (upwards of $20,000 in some cases). This is not money that was put into a savings account ― people living in poverty need every dollar to meet their own basic needs. This money is gone. Pursuing repayment from people living below, at, or just above the poverty line will only exacerbate poverty and homelessness.
All of this will hurt those in already-difficult situations while the government has a different standard of accountability for businesses who accessed pandemic benefits.
All of this will worsen poverty while the government’s own stated goals are to reduce poverty.
Asking people to repay money they don’t have will only exacerbate poverty and the systemic challenges many already face ― we need to make sure this doesn’t happen. Please join us in supporting low-income CERB repayment amnesty for those who needed the relief the most and will be most impacted by these policies.
This campaign has ended. As of June 2023, 49 letters were sent to MPs. Below are the contents of the letter:
Dear [MP],
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of Canada acted swiftly and decisively to ensure that Canadians, who were being asked to stay home from work, would be able to do so without fearing for their financial wellbeing. CERB was an effective tool for ensuring people were able to meet their basic needs and remain at home.
It also acted as a tool for poverty relief. For those with low incomes, those experiencing poverty, or those experiencing homelessness, CERB was instrumental in helping them through the challenges of the pandemic. The money they received was spent to meet basic needs.
Now, asking them to repay what they don’t have will only plunge them further into poverty. Spending time and resources pursuing individuals with no money to repay their debts will be fruitless. Clawing back the money through EIA, wage reductions, or fines will only ensure that those who are already struggling will struggle more.
It is in the best interest of all Canadians to provide a low income CERB repayment amnesty.
Please consider taking this necessary and equitable step in reducing the burden for many.
Sincerely,
[Name]