Erin O'Toole's Conservatives say they are no longer receiving the federal wage subsidy and will pay back the funds the party has received so far. The Liberals, meanwhile, say they will stop accepting the backstop but have no plans to pay back what they have received. The move by the Tories follows on a promise that O'Toole made during the leadership contest to stop taking the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and to pay back "over time" what the party has received. "O'Toole believes the wage subsidy was designed to help businesses survive the economic side-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic lock-down, not to subsidize political parties," Conservative MP Peter Kent said in a post on his Facebook page. Party spokesperson Rosie Emery told CBC News that the party plans to continue taking the subsidy.

Source: CBC News September 03, 2020 19:21 UTC