At least 49 staff at the Department of Employment were fired as COVID-19 relief cheats, the Commons public accounts committee learned yesterday. MPs could not get information on the number of firings in other departments or the Canada Revenue Agency, according to Blacklock's Reporter..Conservative MP Michael Kram (Regina-Wascana, SK) uncovered the firings during a hearing on the $81.6 billion Canada Emergency Response Benefit. The program was intended to pay $2,000 cheques to jobless tax filers facing eviction or foreclosure..“How many employees were subject to internal investigation?” asked MP Kram. “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,” replied Assistant Deputy Crescenzi.."How many of those cases were referred to law enforcement?" Kram asked. "There was no referral to law enforcement," Crescenzi responded..“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.”.“We did alert that up to our chief security officer and an administrative investigation did take place,” said Crescenzi. “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 confirmed it also caught employees claiming COVID relief cheques but would not disclose the number. “At the Agency we treat public servants as general taxpayers and if you violate the rules you are subject to compliance efforts,” testified Revenue Commissioner Bob Hamilton..“I don’t have the numbers right in front of me,” said Hamilton. “Not very many, obviously. I don’t believe any of those cases have gone into a criminal investigation.”.“Could you provide this committee with the numbers?” asked Conservative MP John Williamson (New Brunswick Southwest, NB), chair of the public accounts committee. “I’m afraid ‘not very many’ is not a sufficient answer.”.“I will endeavour to get you those numbers,” replied Hamilton. He gave no deadline..Disclosures of internal abuses of pandemic relief programs follow a 2020 internal memo in which the Canada Revenue Agency said it feared employees would help misappropriate COVID funds. “Employees may collude with external actors to facilitate or mask the misappropriation of payments,” said the memo.
At least 49 staff at the Department of Employment were fired as COVID-19 relief cheats, the Commons public accounts committee learned yesterday. MPs could not get information on the number of firings in other departments or the Canada Revenue Agency, according to Blacklock's Reporter..Conservative MP Michael Kram (Regina-Wascana, SK) uncovered the firings during a hearing on the $81.6 billion Canada Emergency Response Benefit. The program was intended to pay $2,000 cheques to jobless tax filers facing eviction or foreclosure..“How many employees were subject to internal investigation?” asked MP Kram. “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,” replied Assistant Deputy Crescenzi.."How many of those cases were referred to law enforcement?" Kram asked. "There was no referral to law enforcement," Crescenzi responded..“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.”.“We did alert that up to our chief security officer and an administrative investigation did take place,” said Crescenzi. “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 confirmed it also caught employees claiming COVID relief cheques but would not disclose the number. “At the Agency we treat public servants as general taxpayers and if you violate the rules you are subject to compliance efforts,” testified Revenue Commissioner Bob Hamilton..“I don’t have the numbers right in front of me,” said Hamilton. “Not very many, obviously. I don’t believe any of those cases have gone into a criminal investigation.”.“Could you provide this committee with the numbers?” asked Conservative MP John Williamson (New Brunswick Southwest, NB), chair of the public accounts committee. “I’m afraid ‘not very many’ is not a sufficient answer.”.“I will endeavour to get you those numbers,” replied Hamilton. He gave no deadline..Disclosures of internal abuses of pandemic relief programs follow a 2020 internal memo in which the Canada Revenue Agency said it feared employees would help misappropriate COVID funds. “Employees may collude with external actors to facilitate or mask the misappropriation of payments,” said the memo.
