Meetings Mean Business Canada (MMBC) welcomes the federal government’s intention to extend support programs for businesses hardest hit by COVID-19. “The extension of existing federal support programs is good news for the meetings and business events industry,” says Clark Grue, chair, MMBC.

Included in Ottawa’s June 2, 2021 announcement are the following:

The government said the extended timeline for the Wage Subsidy and Rent Subsidy and Lockdown Support programs would see a gradual decrease in the rates, beginning July 4, 2021, in order to ensure an orderly phase-out of the program as the economy reopens. Employers accessing the Wage Subsidy program would shift to the Canada Recovery Hiring Program as they transition to recovery and hire new workers.

Ottawa also released details of the proposed Canada Recovery Hiring Program, first announced in the April 19, 2021 federal budget. Designed to help hard-hit businesses hire the workers they need to recover and grow as local economies reopen, the program:

Both the Canada Recovery Hiring Program and proposed extensions are part of Bill C-30, the Budget Implementation Act, which is currently before Parliament.

“While we’re pleased with the support offered to employers as part of the Canada Recovery Hiring Program, we would also like to see support for independent businesses within our industry, which include meeting and event planners who do not employ full-time staff, as well as the many industry professionals who work on a contract basis,” says Clark Grue.

More details about the programs are provided in the Canadian Government June 2 press release.