Category: Canada Emergency Response Benefit

Feds Have Reclaimed Over $2 Billion in Ineligible CERB Payments: Gov’t Document

The federal government has reclaimed over $2 billion in Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) payments paid out during the pandemic to ineligible recipients due to inadequate verification methods, according to the Department of Employment. The department said in a recent briefing note obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter that over 1.1 million Canadians had fully repaid their CERB debts…


More Than 1,000 Canadians Take CRA to Court Over Pandemic Payments—and Some Win

In late 2021, Tressa Mitchell was dealing with doctor’s appointments for her ailing mother when she got a call from the Canada Revenue Agency seeking information to verify her eligibility for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Mitchell, who has a lung condition, took time off work as a cashier in…


Government Recovers About a Third of $3 Billion Erroneous CERB Payments

The federal government has so far recovered about a third of the roughly $3 billion in COVID-19 relief benefits paid to ineligible people, the cabinet disclosed in records submitted to the House of Commons. In an Inquiry of Ministry, obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, the cabinet said notices have been sent to roughly 1.7 million Canadians…


‘Need All Hands on Deck’: A Look at Income Supports, Teen Workers Amid Aging Workforce, High Job Vacancies

High job vacancies, low unemployment rates, and an aging Canadian workforce are major challenges facing the economy, say two academics, who also point to COVID income supports and declining teen labour participation as issues demanding significant responses from employers and policy-makers alike. Late in April Statistics Canada announced that the country has more people aged…