OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a federal wage subsidy for employees in businesses hit hard by COVID-19 will last at least until the end of August.

The subsidy, known as the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) was set to expire in the first week of June, only a few weeks after the first payments rolled out.

Trudeau says the idea is to give employers more runway and confidence to resume operations slowly if they have to.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau is to reveal details of a broadening of the program later today.

Trudeau also says the government will make adjustments to the program, including changes to the threshold for how much qualifying companies’ revenues must have declined, to ensure employers can access the help as business kicks back up.

The subsidy covers 75% of wages for employers that have seen sharp declines in revenue since the novel coronavirus pandemic hit Canada hard in March, up to $847 per worker, per week.