COVID-19 emergency benefit website opens, government takes heat about who’s left out | CBC News

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government is looking at ways to extend COVID-19 emergency benefits to students and those working reduced hours due to the pandemic. 1:46

Responding to critics who say many Canadians are falling through cracks in the emergency COVID-19 benefit plan, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today said more help is on the way for students, those working reduced hours due to the pandemic and struggling businesses.

During his daily media briefing, Trudeau said 240,000 people already have applied successfully for the Canada emergency response benefit (CERB) — which opened to applications at 6 a.m. ET today — reportedly without a hitch.

But he acknowledged that some people who should qualify for the aid are not getting it.

Trudeau said there will be adjustments to the program in the coming days to include people such as gig workers, contractors and volunteer firefighters who work 10 or fewer hours per week. He also said there would be support for those who continue to work but are making less than they would through CERB, such as home care workers or people caring for vulnerable seniors in long-term care facilities.

“You need support now, and work is underway to get it to you as soon as possible,” he said.

“For people in all of these situations, we see you, we’re going to be there for you and we’re working as hard as we can to get you the support you need.”

Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough’s office said Monday that everything seemed to be going smoothly in the first few hours the online portal was open for CERB applications, which are being managed by the Canada Revenue Agency. 

Hundreds of thousands of applications are expected to flood the system in the coming week, and the government says the system is prepared to handle millions of claims.

The government is aski