Following revelations that Revenue Commissioner Bob Hamilton misled MPs regarding the number of employees terminated for defrauding pandemic relief programs, auditors have recommended tightening ethics training at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).Blacklock's Reporter says an internal audit of the Values And Ethics Framework highlighted deficiencies in mandatory training courses related to values and ethics within the agency. According to the report, some employees failed to complete these mandatory courses, with an absenteeism rate as high as 19%.Auditors emphasized the need for improvements to strengthen the framework, including increased awareness and application of values and ethics requirements among employees. They also recommended collaboration with relevant internal stakeholders to monitor data effectively.The report noted that employees at the CRA are bound by the Value And Ethics Code For The Public Sector, which outlines five core values required of all members of the federal public service: respect for democracy; respect for people; integrity; stewardship; and excellence.The issue of ethics training and compliance comes amid the firing of 232 staff by the CRA for falsely claiming $2,000-a-month pandemic relief cheques under the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) Act. Hamilton faced scrutiny in 2023 after providing misleading information to the Commons public accounts committee regarding the number of employees terminated for CERB-related fraud. Initially claiming ignorance of the numbers, Hamilton later revised the figure to 185. However, discrepancies in reporting persisted, leading to questions about transparency and accountability within the agency.Sen. Denise Batters criticized the government for withholding accurate figures, labelling the situation as "totally unacceptable."The issue of internal CERB fraud was brought to light by Conservative MP Michael Kram during a routine hearing of the public accounts committee in February 2023. Managers at the Department of Employment revealed that 49 employees had been terminated for misrepresentation related to CERB benefits. However, there was no referral to law enforcement and the clawback of funds from these employees was described as an ongoing process.
Following revelations that Revenue Commissioner Bob Hamilton misled MPs regarding the number of employees terminated for defrauding pandemic relief programs, auditors have recommended tightening ethics training at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).Blacklock's Reporter says an internal audit of the Values And Ethics Framework highlighted deficiencies in mandatory training courses related to values and ethics within the agency. According to the report, some employees failed to complete these mandatory courses, with an absenteeism rate as high as 19%.Auditors emphasized the need for improvements to strengthen the framework, including increased awareness and application of values and ethics requirements among employees. They also recommended collaboration with relevant internal stakeholders to monitor data effectively.The report noted that employees at the CRA are bound by the Value And Ethics Code For The Public Sector, which outlines five core values required of all members of the federal public service: respect for democracy; respect for people; integrity; stewardship; and excellence.The issue of ethics training and compliance comes amid the firing of 232 staff by the CRA for falsely claiming $2,000-a-month pandemic relief cheques under the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) Act. Hamilton faced scrutiny in 2023 after providing misleading information to the Commons public accounts committee regarding the number of employees terminated for CERB-related fraud. Initially claiming ignorance of the numbers, Hamilton later revised the figure to 185. However, discrepancies in reporting persisted, leading to questions about transparency and accountability within the agency.Sen. Denise Batters criticized the government for withholding accurate figures, labelling the situation as "totally unacceptable."The issue of internal CERB fraud was brought to light by Conservative MP Michael Kram during a routine hearing of the public accounts committee in February 2023. Managers at the Department of Employment revealed that 49 employees had been terminated for misrepresentation related to CERB benefits. However, there was no referral to law enforcement and the clawback of funds from these employees was described as an ongoing process.
