The landing page for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit is seen in Toronto, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Giordano Ciampini
A federal government department has fired 49 employees who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit while they were employed.
Employment and Social Development Canada, which oversaw the distribution of the benefit—better known as CERB— conducted an internal investigation and found that some of its employees had claimed the benefit for themselves.
"Those individuals that did break the trust of the employer-employee relationship … have been terminated," assistant deputy minister Mary Crescenzi told a House of Commons committee on Thursday. "To date, we have terminated 49 individuals."
Crescenzi and other senior officials from ESDC and the Canada Revenue Agency were testifying at the public accounts committee after an auditor general's report on the billions of dollars in COVID-19 benefits the government doled out during the pandemic.
The report found that of the $211 billion paid to Canadians and companies, at least $4.6 billion in overpayments went to those who were ineligible and another $27.4 billion merited further investigation.
CERB provided financial support to Canadians who had employment income of at least $5,000 in the 12 months prior to applying for it. Recipients were eligible to receive weekly $500 payments amounting to $2,000 over a four-week period.
Conservative MP Michael Kram also asked Bob Hamilton, the CRA commissioner, how many workers claimed CERB while employed.
Hamilton said he did not have exact numbers on hand, but said it was "not very many."
"We treat public servants as general taxpayers and if you violate the rules you suffer the compliance efforts," he said.
Neither department referred any of the cases to law enforcement, the officials said.
"We have very strong internal investigation at the CRA, and we deal with it ourselves," Hamilton said.
Crescenzi said the monies received by the 49 terminated employees have been classified as overpayments that must be repaid.
"They are being treated as any other Canadian that received benefits they were not entitled to," she said.
She also said none of the employees used ESDC's internal systems to apply for the benefits; they did so on their own time.
U.S President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have announced updates on a number of cross-border issues, after a day of meetings on Parliament Hill.
As Joe Biden makes his first trip to Canada as president of the United States, CTVNews.ca is offering live coverage of the leader's visit. Follow our live blog on CTVNews.ca and the CTV News app for the latest updates.
Sky-gazers and shutterbugs across much of Canada were treated to a spectacular display of northern lights Thursday night and into Friday morning.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
Notable people will be in attendance at Friday’s gala dinner with U.S. President Joe Biden, hosted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum, including former prime ministers and celebrities.
The first lady of the United States got a sweeping introduction to Canadian sports culture in Ottawa Friday as Sophie Gregoire Trudeau took Jill Biden to the curling rink for her first trip to Ottawa.
The immigration deal announced Friday by U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau aims to shut down a process that has enabled tens of thousands of immigrants from across the world to move between the two countries along a back road between New York state and Quebec.
W5 investigates aging asbestos pipes across Canada and the potential health hazards if it ends up in your tap water. Watch W5's 'Something in the Water' Saturday at 7 p.m. on CTV.
Gwyneth Paltrow is expected to testify Friday in a trial over a 2016 ski collision at a Utah ski resort, where a man claims that the movie star's recklessness caused broken ribs, brain damage and lasting physical injuries.
Police say a woman is in hospital following a shooting in west Saint John, N.B., early Friday morning and three suspects have been arrested.
As competition for health-care workers heats up, so too does the bidding.
While one round of snow and rain has passed, another is lined up for the end of the weekend.
Ontario's so-called sunshine list is out and the top salary in the province was a little more than $1.7 million.
An astrophotographer from southern Ontario captured Thursday night's display of the Aurora Borealis and has offered some tips and tricks for catching a glimpse of them yourself tonight.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
Short-term rental company Airbnb says it will pull listings that don't have a proper permit from the Quebec government. The San Francisco-based company made the announcement eight days after a fatal fire destroyed an Old Montreal building that housed illegal rentals.
The immigration deal announced Friday by U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau aims to shut down a process that has enabled tens of thousands of immigrants from across the world to move between the two countries along a back road between New York state and Quebec.
A Quebec man is asking the court for permission to bring a class action against Ticketmaster, alleging that the American ticketing company intentionally misled customers to make more money.
Ontario's so-called sunshine list is out and the top salary in the province was a little more than $1.7 million.
CTV News has learned an Ontario Provincial Police sergeant with 22 years of service has been charged in Sudbury with criminal harassment.
Merrilee Fullerton, a longtime cabinet minister in Premier Doug Ford's government, has resigned.
A London man was arrested early Friday morning after being spotted throwing a cinder block through the front door of a restaurant, according to police.
An elderly Byron man said he received numerous offers of help to clear away rotting barn rubble from his property, after a London, Ont. city council committee endorsed a recommendation to grant a demolition permit.
A woman is in hospital with critical injuries after an overnight house fire in north London. Crews were called to the scene on Adelaide Street near Dufferin Avenue around 1:20 a.m.
A Manitoba First Nation is enacting measures to combat an ongoing drug and addiction crisis while also calling on the federal and provincial governments to do more to address drug-related deaths within northern remote Indigenous communities.
Manitobans were treated to a stunning display of the northern lights on Thursday night, as the sky was lit up with swirls of green.
Manitoba Public Insurance is working on a special licence plate meant to raise awareness on the societal issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people that will be made available to the Manitoba public by the end of the year.
A Kitchener man has been arrested by Waterloo regional police for making alleged death threats towards Region of Waterloo Chair Karen Redman.
An uncommon phenomenon lit up the skies across southern Ontario on Thursday night, including in Waterloo region where the aurora borealis – also known as the northern lights - shone bright enough to see with the naked eye.
The Region of Waterloo’s highest-paid public sector employee made just under $500,000 in 2022.
One person is missing and a dog is dead after two homes caught fire Friday afternoon in northwest Calgary.
Emergency crews rushed to the community of Chaparral on Friday after the driver of a garbage truck lost control of the vehicle, causing it to crash.
Alberta's police watchdog has cleared two Calgary police officers in their dealings with a speeding drunk driver who hit and killed two pedestrians.
The SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival has announced its 2023 ticketed lineup.
Many residents across Saskatchewan had a prominent view of the Aurora Borealis also known as the Northern Lights Thursday night and Friday morning and are sharing the pictures they captured with CTV News.
A group representing Canadian restaurants says the Saskatchewan budget missed an opportunity to help the food service industry.
The procession is scheduled to leave the Alberta Legislature grounds toward Rogers Place at approximately 11:45 a.m.
A tuition increase of 5.5 per cent for domestic students and current international students was approved by the University of Alberta Friday morning.
The City of Beaumont says one of its community peace officers was threatened while issuing a parking ticket.
A legal advocacy group in Vancouver is calling for B.C. to overhaul its approach to mental health care in order to eliminate involuntary treatment options.
A micro suite in Vancouver is being rented for $700 a month—a steep price considering the space is just 150 square feet.
Mounties are searching for suspects after a shooting in downtown Kamloops early Friday morning left one man with serious injuries.
Saskatchewan’s 2023-24 budget highlighted healthcare as one of its main priorities, with Emergency Medical Services getting a small cut of the new funding.
Saskatchewan is likely taking a cautious approach when it comes to the surplus announced in the 2023-24 provincial budget, according to an associate professor of economics at the University of Regina.
Two cars that have become a curiosity in Regina's north end are slowly emerging from a massive pile of snow as the spring thaw starts in the Prairies.
