Canadian government deems international travellers ineligible for federal sickness benefit

GATINEAU, QUEBEC — Starting this month, the Government of Canada will ensure returning international travellers will not be eligible for any of the Canada Recovery Benefits during their mandatory quarantine.

During the pandemic the federal government created three new benefits for workers who don’t qualify for EI – the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) and the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB).

The CRSB provides income support to workers who are unable to work at least 50 per cent of their schedule because they are sick, under quarantine, or must self-isolate due to COVID-19.

After reports of international travellers accessing this benefit, new legislation will be tabled to make sure people don’t take advantage of the federal funds. The federal government says in a release today (Jan. 11) that the CRSB was “never meant to incentivize or encourage Canadians to disregard public health advice.”

The update means all travellers who have to quarantine when they return to Canada will not be able to access the $500 weekly sickness benefit ($450 after taxes withheld) during their quarantine period.

This includes people who were on vacation, visiting loved ones, or attending to real estate matters abroad. People who are exempt from the quarantine requirements, such as health care workers who need to cross the border for work, will still be eligible.

An update has been made to the application page on the federal government’s website. (Image credit: Govt of Canada)

In a release, Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion says this is not the time to travel abroad and if you choose to do so, you won’t be eligible for benefits during the mandatory quarantine period.

“The benefit was not intended to encourage Canadians to disobey public health and international travel guidelines,” she states, “We have heard Canadians and are tightening the eligibility criteria for our COVID recovery benefits. We will ensure that these measures have no unintended consequences and will target individuals who travel for discretionary and non-essential purposes.”

For more information about the exemption, click here to access the Government of Canada website.