Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier dismissed an auditor’s warning taxpayers are unlikely to recover billions wasted on pandemic relief programs. At least $32 billion was paid to undeserving claimants after the Canada Revenue Agency failed to make cursory background checks, according to Blacklock Reporter..“I want to congratulate the officials of the Revenue Agency and tell them how proud I am of their work and the historic work they have done,” Lebouthillier told reporters. The minister said she “could not ignore our disagreement” with the audit..“Their dedication to serving Canadians from coast to coast is nothing short of remarkable,” said Lebouthillier. “We owe them a lot.”.Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough, whose department handled a portion of claims for programs like the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, also dismissed the findings. “I can tell you I have no regrets,” said Qualtrough..Auditor General Karen Hogan in a report said billions were wasted under programs like the Canada Emergency Response Benefit intended to pay jobless taxpayers $2,000 a month or the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy designed to aid struggling businesses..“We found $4.6 billion was overpaid to ineligible recipients,” wrote Hogan. “We also estimated at least $27.4 billion was paid to recipients that have an indication of ineligibility and should be investigated further.” Another $1.6 billion was suspicions and involved relief for CERB recipients who quit their jobs..“As the pandemic continued to evolve the post-payment verifications were delayed,” Hogan told reporters. “The number of post-payment verifications included in the plans is insufficient to address all payments at risk of being ineligible.”.“How much of those overpayments are the result of good faith mistakes by Canadians and how much are fraud?” asked a reporter. “I can’t give you an answer,” replied Hogan..“Why aren’t you confident the government will claw back all that money?” asked a reporter. “There is a legislative limit to the time frame,” replied Hogan..Conservative MP Adam Chambers (Simcoe North, Ont.) said cabinet must recover the lost billions. “What is the government’s plan to deal with that $30 billion?” asked Chambers. “How much is it going to cost to pursue?”.In the Commons another Conservative MP, Warren Steinley (Regina-Lewvan), ridiculed past cabinet claims of fiscal prudence. “We all remember the solemn hand-on-heart moment where Canadians were told by this Prime Minister, ‘We have your back,’” said Steinley..“Where is the solemn pledge by this Prime Minister that they were going to take on debt as a government so Canadians don’t have to?” asked Steinley..Parliament in 2021 voted to raise the federal debt ceiling 56% from $1.68 trillion to $1.83 trillion under the Borrowing Authority Act. The Prime Minister at the time said Parliament “took on debt so Canadians don’t have to.”
