Auditor General Investigating $208M in Payments Through Crown Corp. for Pandemic Relief Program

Auditor General Karen Hogan appears as a witness at a House of Commons standing committee on Public Accounts on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2024. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Canada’s auditor general is investigating more than $208 million in payments made through a federal Crown corporation to manage a pandemic relief program.

Export Development Canada (EDC) was assigned to manage the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) program in 2020. The program offered interest-free loans of up to $60,000 to small businesses and not-for-profits. The work was given to contractor Accenture PLC, an Irish multinational consulting firm, without open bidding, a move that cabinet and EDC did not disclose.