Canada’s employment minister testified in February that she was unaware when employees of her department were being investigated for falsely claiming pandemic benefits.
Carla Qualtrough appeared before the House of Commons standing committee on human resources on Feb. 7, as first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter. She was asked a number of questions following the termination of 49 department employees fired for applying for and receiving up to $2,000 in monthly benefits from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) while still working for Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
CERB was a program started in 2020 that paid $500 per week in benefits to Canadians who lost their jobs or were otherwise directly affected by COVID-19 such as due to closures or lockdowns. Any individual who earned at least $5,000 before taxes in 2020 or the previous year could apply….