Auditor General Karen Hogan reported Dec. 6 that $27.4 billion of Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) payments are suspicious and should be investigated. She said at least $4.6 billion was paid to ineligible individuals.
The auditor’s report said Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has limited time to recover most of the money. “Unless the department or agency suspect that a recipient misrepresented information, the time frame to verify whether a recipient is eligible for the payment is 36 months for most COVID‑19 benefit programs,” it said.
