Trudeau says if companies get federal wage subsidies for employees, those workers cannot collect the CERB

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      Today, employers are allowed to start filing applications for the COVID-19 federal wage subsidies.

      The maximum amount is $847 per week per employee and it's retroactive to March 15.

      At his morning briefing, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that anyone who's hired back will not be available to reapply for $2,000 per month Canadian Emergency Response Benefit.

      "It is a situation that is complex," Trudeau said, noting that different arms of government are administering each program.

      The government has come under some criticism for not being quick enough in delivering wage subsidies.

      That delay has been linked to more layoffs and more applications for the CERB.

      In March more than one million people lost their jobs in Canada and the economy contracted by approximately nine percent, according to Statistics Canada.

      On Sunday (April 26), Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre accused the Liberal government of engaging in "a gigantic experiment in freakonomics" because their stimulus programs are not panning out as intended.

      He emphasized that his party supports providing relief to businesses and individuals affected by the pandemic. But he also claimed that the Liberals were largely responsible for the economic problems because they were far too slow to shut the border to visitors from China early this year.

      Video: Watch Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre's comments about the Liberal government's handling of the pandemic.

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