ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — The provincial NDP refocused Monday on the needs of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who struggle to make ends meet, calling out the Liberal government for its handling of the income support program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meeting with reporters in St. John's, NDP Leader Alison Coffin and St. John's Centre incumbent candidate Jim Dinn called on the Liberals to cease income support clawbacks for recipients who also availed of the federal Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
Coffin said the government's decision to treat CERB payments as income and claw back payments made to provincial income support recipients was not the right move. She said her party's office has heard from residents who also had trouble getting back on income support after receiving CERB.
"And that meant they didn't know how they would get through the last two-month waiting period before they could get support again," Coffin said. "While many families continue to struggle with paying rent, keeping their homes warm and paying for food, the Liberals are more concerned with clawing back a few dollars from those who already do not have enough money to get by."
Highlighting his background as a food bank volunteer for 35 years, Dinn said he understands the sort of challenges vulnerable people face when they can't afford most basic necessities.
"It's a clear trend that (the Liberals) are not prepared to address the systemic problems of poverty to make social change," Dinn said. "And by clawing back income support, the provincial Liberals went after people who are already barely surviving the pandemic. I've heard from people on the doorstep and in my office who are worried about the impact of CERB on their financial future."
Lots at stake
Dinn said some people waited weeks going through the process to reapply for income support.
"Vulnerable people were at risk of losing their rent, bus passes, drug cards, and some faced the threat of homelessness or being hospitalized as a result of the mental-health issues that were exacerbated by this," he said.
There were signs CERB did a lot of good for people, Dinn said, noting calls to the Community Food Helpline dropped significantly.
"That tells me one thing — they are not getting enough on income support to feed themselves," he said. "Once the clawbacks started, the numbers have increased. … Let's be honest, those on income support, they're not taking trips to Florida. They're trying to put food on the table for themselves and for their children, and they're trying to make sure the house stays heated, and they're trying to make sure the furniture gets looked after and they put clothes on the backs of their children."
Dinn said income support clawbacks wrongly victimize people and place an unfair burden on their well-being. He said major corporations in Canada are more deserving of clawbacks than people living on the margins.
"Do you start the clawback from people who can ill-afford it, or do you look at multinational companies, such as Bell, who've taken $120 million in wage subsidies when they could afford to take care of themselves? Who do we penalize here?"
The provincial Liberals issued a statement Monday after the NDP announcement.
"Canada's Emergency Response Benefit was a federal government program meant to replace employment income affected by the pandemic," the party stated. "Some income support clients in this province were able to avail of CERB. When it ended, they were expedited back to the income support program as needed, with all wraparound supports available as well."
Andrew Robinson is a business reporter in St. John's.
