Travellers returning to Canada who are forced to quarantine will soon no longer be eligible to collect benefits under the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) program..Liberal Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough has announced she will be proposing legislation so international travellers who need to quarantine upon returning to Canada — including people returning from vacation, visiting loved ones and attending to real estate matters abroad — will not be eligible to receive support for the period of their mandatory quarantine, retroactive to Jan. 3, 2021, it was reported..Under CRSB travellers returning to Canada are eligible to receive up to $1,000 to offset lost income as a result of having to observe the federal 14-day mandatory quarantine restriction..The CRSB gives income support to employed and self-employed individuals who are unable to work because they are sick or need to self-isolate due to COVID-19, or have an underlying health condition that puts them at greater risk of getting COVID-19..The program is administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)..Those eligible for CRSB, can receive $500 ($450 after taxes withheld) for a 1-week period, and may apply again for a total of 2 weeks of benefits between September 27, 2020 and September 25, 2021..However, the benefit has recently come under fire from critics who say pandemic aid could be going to Canadians completing their mandatory 14-day quarantine after returning from personal vacations abroad, reported CBC News..Individuals who are exempt from the mandatory quarantine requirements under the Quarantine Act, such as health-care workers who need to cross the border for work, will still be eligible to apply..“The Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit, along with the other recovery benefits, was never intended to incentivize or encourage Canadians to disregard public health advice,” the CRA statement read..“Rather, these benefits were put in place to ensure Canadian workers could continue to make ends meet during the pandemic, and that no Canadian would have to make the choice between putting food on the table or going to work sick.”.The government also said the Canada Revenue Agency is updating the application process for the benefit. Applicants will now need to indicate whether they were self-isolating or in quarantine due to international travel for claims covering a period beginning on or after Jan. 3..According to the release, the CRA will delay processing claims for individuals who are self-isolating or in quarantine because of international travel for the coming weeks until the legislative process is complete..Libera Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc hinted earlier the government would be looking at the loophole..“The idea that you can voluntarily decide to disrespect public health advice, go on an international trip and come back and, because you have to quarantine, somehow apply for a sickness benefit makes no sense at all.”.“It’s an accident of law.”.As of January 3, there have been 509,610 CRSB applications, paying out $254,805,000..Ken Grafton is the Western Standards Ottawa Bureau Chief. He can be reached at kgrafton@westernstandardonline.com
