Justin Trudeau has assured that government employees who commit acts of fraud will face severe consequences, after the Journal revealed the dismissal of 44 Service Canada employees for touching the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) without be entitled to it.
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“We are making sure that those who have committed acts of fraud, who have committed criminal acts, while we were there to help the most vulnerable, face severe consequences, and that is exactly what we are doing”, declared the Prime Minister on the sidelines of a press briefing on Monday.
Mr. Trudeau mentioned that the context of “extreme uncertainty” in which PCU had been established at the start of the pandemic justified an “extremely rapid” intervention and an “extremely generous” program.
“All employees who made fraudulent CERB claims are required to repay the full amount distributed by the Government of Canada and may face consequences, up to and including termination of employment with ESDC [Emploi et Développement social Canada]“, Can we read in an internal memo of the ministry obtained by the Journal.
In total, 8,830,000 Canadians have touched the CERB. The program cost nearly $80 billion in public funds, and Quebecers who qualified for the benefit received an average of $7,940.