(Ottawa) In great evils, great means. The Trudeau government nearly doubles the number of agents at Service Canada who are assigned to process EI claims for people who have been victims of identity theft and have seen fraudsters submit a claim on their behalf.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
The objective is to reduce the delays which have lengthened and which exceed three months in some cases, pushing workers who have lost their jobs to go into debt and accumulate unpaid bills.
Families, Children and Social Development Minister Karina Gould, who is responsible for Service Canada, told The Press that the number of officers assigned to these files should increase from 130 to 235, an increase of nearly 80%.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
The Minister confirmed this measure after The Press reported on Friday the case of three Quebecers who were victims of identity theft and who are struggling today to make ends meet because their application for employment insurance benefits has been suspended and Service Canada is slow to get their case clear.
“We are in the process of reallocating resources at Service Canada precisely to ensure that we respond to requests in a timely manner,” said Minister Gould, stressing that the normal delay should not exceed 28 days.
This case is close to my heart. Employment insurance is there to support Canadians who need it. We want to ensure that services are available to all Canadians across the country and across Quebec.
Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
Four government sources – two sources at the Canada Revenue Agency and two sources at Service Canada – have confirmed to The Press that a significant proportion of fraud is directly related to the massive leak of personal information that occurred in 2019 at Mouvement Desjardins. Moreover, the epicenter of fraudulent requests is in Quebec.
The Press agreed to withhold the identities of these government sources because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
More victims
In an interview, Minister Karina Gould did not want to divulge specific details on the cases in Quebec, as the law obliges her to respect the confidentiality of applicants for employment insurance benefits.
However, she indicated that Service Canada has been receiving a greater volume of requests in recent weeks, compared to the same period last year. “But in Quebec, there are also a greater number of people who have been victims of a breach of privacy. This of course has consequences. This has an impact on people who make legitimate requests. That’s why we are deploying more officers who are checking the cases of people who have had a stop payment,” explained the Minister.
Mme Gould also indicated that Service Canada will work more closely with members of Parliament in the various regions of Quebec, among other places, to ensure that people who submit legitimate claims receive their benefits more quickly.
“But you have to know that it’s a delicate balance. We know there are people out there trying to cheat. »
But for me, it is very important that people who make legitimate claims, who need their benefits, receive them in an acceptable time frame, while protecting the integrity of the system.
Karina Gould
She pointed out that the four-week deadline is respected in 83% of cases.
Victim of identity theft like many Quebecers, Maude hopes that the hiring of new agents will speed up the processing of her application.
This resident of the Montreal region, who prefers to keep her last name secret, claims to have realized in December that she had been the victim of a fraudster. “Since mid-December, I haven’t received any employment insurance benefits and I’m expecting more than $3,000 in benefits. I’ve made many inquiries, dozens of calls to Service Canada, complaints to the Office of Customer Satisfaction, one complaint filed with the police, one call to CRA […], a letter to my MP. I contacted the bank where the fraudulent account had been opened. I never had a return call from the employment insurance investigators,” explained Maude.
“I was promised deadlines of 48 hours, then 24 hours, mentioning that my file would be processed urgently. […] I currently live on my credit card to pay for groceries and expenses for my three children,” she added.