An unprecedented number of Canadians have lost their jobs and income opportunities because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) is meant to offer urgent financial relief for anyone whose income source has been decimated by COVID-19. While the financial relief CERB provides will protect many people, there are enormous gaps in who is eligible. Millions of people will be excluded — people like myself, a student — who do not meet the unfair eligibility criteria but will be left without income. We are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to close the gaps in the CERB so everyone can pay their bills and put food on the table during this crisis.

Hundreds of thousands of people across the country are in dire need of support during this crisis, but they are excluded from accessing the support of CERB.

Many students do not qualify. If students made less than $5K in 2019, they don’t qualify — even if they didn’t have time to earn an income on top of full-time studies. Graduating students that are entering the job market do not qualify even though they have no income and are likely carrying heavy debt loads.

People collecting disability benefits could be left behind. If you’ve lost a job or other income source to COVID-19, but you also receive some form of support — like disability pay — you don’t qualify.

Many part-time workers are not eligible. Part-time workers who have had their hours cut back, but still have some income,do not qualify. If someone has two jobs and loses one of them, they cannot access CERB. Even if their income is reduced to almost nothing, they won’t be able to access the CERB.

These exclusions are real people who — without support from CERB — won’t be able to pay their bills or feed their kids. In a crisis of this magnitude, we need to make sure everyone has their basic needs met. . But the CERB program as it currently stands excludes millions. We still have a chance to make it better — a chance to ensure no one is left behind. Will you add your name?