The Canada Revenue Agency has gotten rid of 120 employees who the agency said took advantage of the Canada emergency response benefit (CERB) during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a CRA statement issued Friday morning, an internal review launched to identity any CRA employees who inappropriately claimed the benefit while employed at the department turned up 600 suspect cases.
“Out of the approximately 600 cases, we can report that 120 individuals are no longer with the CRA as a result of this internal review,” the statement said. “The investigations and disciplinary processes continue.”
Any CRA employees who improperly claimed benefits will be required to pay them back if they have not already done so, the statement said.
The department said any employees suspected of criminality could have their cases referred to police.
“When misconduct is identified, we ensure that the appropriate actions are taken to address it,” the statement said.
CERB offered benefits of $500 a week for workers who lost their jobs in the first months of the pandemic in 2020.
The CRA said that just because a person is an employee of the agency did not disqualify them from receiving CERB during the pandemic. Temporary employees and those on student contracts might have been eligible depending on their employment situation.
“In this regard, roughly 30 employees that are part of this review have been found to be eligible so far,” the CRA statement said.
In a statement Friday, National Revenue Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said the cases that have been uncovered should not “call into question the integrity and honesty of the more than 60,000 employees” who work for CRA.
“The CRA’s investigation into the employees who received the Canada emergency response benefit is being taken very seriously and is still ongoing,” the statement said in French.” The disciplinary measures imposed show that for us it is zero tolerance.”