QUESTION PERIOD — Finance
Canada Emergency Response Benefit
October 30, 2024
Senator Gold, this NDP-Liberal government expects Canadians to believe it has no documents that show who is responsible for decisions that led to almost $8 billion being paid out in fraudulent Canada Emergency Response Benefit, or CERB, claims. In July, we learned about the CRA’s response to an access-to-information request that sought the names of those who decided to limit the prepayment eligibility checks on CERB applicants. These routine checks could have rooted out the fraud, leader.
The response from the CRA said, “We have no records pertaining to this request . . . .” They have no records.
Leader, how is that possible? How can this incompetent NDP‑Liberal government have no records of a decision that cost taxpayers $8 billion?
Senator, thank you, again, for raising this issue. The challenges that the CRA and we, as a country, faced when getting help out to Canadians in a timely fashion when the pandemic struck us with such force and intensity are well known and have been much discussed in this chamber.
I’m not aware of the record-keeping practices within the CRA, but the work that the government did through the CRA saved this economy and saved the lives and well-being of hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of Canadian families. Yes, the design of the program was done with full knowledge that a certain price would be paid for getting the cheques out faster than through normal processes, and, unfortunately, that has been the case.
Nothing is ever the government’s fault. If there are no documents about this horrendous mismanagement of $8 billion, then no one can be held responsible, no one can be fired and there is no accountability.
Leader, is this $8 billion also gone for good, just like the $190 million paid to hackers that I mentioned yesterday, Senator Gold? Yes or no?
I don’t know, Senator Plett, how much money may or may not be recovered, but I do know that every effort is being made to ensure that problems with the system do not recur. I have every confidence that that work is ongoing.
