It was the middle of March, and even as the economy quavered and COVID-19 evolved into a global pandemic, Groen and his colleagues at Service Canada were chugging along as usual. Service Canada got more than 71,000 applications for employment insurance on March 16, the most ever in a single day — until the next day, when it got more than 88,000. By the time the tally for the third day came in at more than 130,000 claims, Groen knew routine wasn’t good enough anymore. Groen and his team at Service Canada shifted into high gear that week after they received record-setting jobless claims for three days in a row. The rush carried into that weekend, March 20 and 21, as public servants scrambled to write legislation to create the new benefit, Groen said.

Source: thestar April 12, 2020 07:41 UTC