By Canadian Press

Census data to reveal snapshot of how pandemic supports like CERB affected incomes

Jul 13, 2022 | 1:01 AM

OTTAWA — Canadians will get a look today at how government supports such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit affected incomes during the early pandemic.

This morning, Statistics Canada will release results from the 2021 national census that break down how many people received COVID-19 benefits in 2020 and how those benefits affected the bigger picture.

The income data consist of Canada Revenue Agency tax and benefits records and will allow for some of the most detailed analysis yet of labour and prosperity patterns during the pandemic. 

Experts say the income data will form a complicated pandemic-era snapshot, with CERB likely skewing incomes for the very lowest earners upward, but skewing incomes for another large tranche of workers downward.

They say older Canadians leaving the workforce, younger Canadians gaining more labour mobility and a widening of the temporary foreign worker program are bigger, longer-term trends to watch out for.

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Statistics Canada will also publish findings on the changing makeup of Canadian families, trends in housing and the country’s population of veterans and military members.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2022.

The Canadian Press