Canada
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Nearly 50 Department of Employment staffers fired after allegedly taking Covid relief benefits illegally

Businesswoman closing her business activity due to covid-19 lockdown. Owner with surgical mask close the doors of her store due to quarantine coronavirus damage. Close up sign of bankrupt business due to the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.
Businesswoman closing her business activity due to covid-19 lockdown. Owner with surgical mask close the doors of her store due to quarantine coronavirus damage. Close up sign of bankrupt business due to the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.

Forty-nine staff at the Department of Employment have been fired as Covid relief cheats taking benefits they weren’t entitled to, the Commons public accounts committee discovered.

Politicians weren’t able to find out the number of pink slips that were handed out in other departments or the Canada Revenue Agency, a Blacklock’s story reports.

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Conservative MP Michael Kram discovered the firings during a hearing on the $81.6 billion Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

The program was meant to give $2,000 cheques to tax filers out of work or those facing eviction or foreclosure.

Kram asked for the number of employees who were subject to internal investigation.

“To date we have terminated 49 individuals,” replied Mary Crescenzi, assistant deputy minister.

“Forty-nine now former employees at the department were terminated for fraud related to Covid benefits, is that correct?” asked Kram. “It would be in regard to misrepresentation of their situation when they would be applying for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

Kram also asked how many of those cases were referred to law enforcement and she was told that none were.

He then wanted to know if the money had been returned.

“Those monies have been established as overpayments that must be repaid and those are being treated as any other Canadian who received benefits they were not entitled to. As part of some of our internal investigations it was discovered some of our employees had availed themselves as any Canadian to apply for Canada Emergency Response Benefits on their own time,” said Crescenzi. “I want to be clear they did not use any internal systems in doing so,” Crescenzi said.

“We did alert that up to our chief security officer and an administrative investigation did take place. Those individuals that did break the trust of the employer-employee relationship, as we reviewed for cause their security clearances, have been terminated.”

The Canada Revenue Agency admits to catching employees claiming Covid relief cheques but would not say how many.

“At the Agency we treat public servants as general taxpayers and if you violate the rules you are subject to compliance efforts. I don’t have the numbers right in front of me. Not very many, obviously. I don’t believe any of those cases have gone into a criminal investigation.” testified Revenue Commissioner Bob Hamilton.

“I will endeavour to get you those numbers,” replied Commissioner Hamilton. He gave no deadline.