About 600 other workers under investigation for 'inappropriately' receiving benefit
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) said it has fired 20 of its employees for claiming COVID-19 benefits while still working at the tax authority.
Specifically, the fired workers received Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) payments, though the agency did not specify the amount that was wrongly claimed, according to a CTV News report.
The CRA was responsible for administering the $2,000-per-month CERB when it was in effect between March and September 2020.
In February, Ottawa announced it had fired 49 public workers who allegedly claimed the CERB while they were still employed by the federal government.
The firings at CRA stemmed from “a broader internal review process to identify any CRA employees who inappropriately received the CERB while employed with the CRA,” Sylvie Branch, CRA spokesperson, said in a statement late on Friday, according to a CTV News report.
“It is important to note that this number is likely to increase as the reviews are completed,” she added.
About 600 other CRA employees are also under investigation for possibly having “inappropriately” received the CERB despite not losing their job during the pandemic.
In May 2022, the CRA began issuing Notices of Redetermination (NoRs) to individuals who received the CERB but were not eligible for it so they could repay them.
There will be no penalties for individuals who applied for the benefit in...
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