CRA Says They Were Given 'Unclear' Instructions On The CERB & Passed It On To Canadians

The Canada Emergency Response Benefit repayment situation which has reportedly caused many Canadians anxiety, according to Justin Trudeau, has taken a new turn.

In a statement obtained by the CBC, the Canada Revenue Agency said that the Government of Canada's communications were "unclear" when the benefit first rolled out. 

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The Government of Canada acknowledges that communications on this topic were unclear in the first days after the CERB was launched. CRA

"This includes both the CERB webpages, and the information provided to call centre agents. We regret that this lack of consistent clarity led some self-employed individuals to mistakenly apply to the CERB despite being ineligible," The CRA said. 

What's more, Marc Brière, the national president for the Union of Taxation Employees, told CBC News that those government workers were given the wrong information on the CERB eligibility.

They then passed on those instructions to Canadians seeking the $2,000 monthly financial support. 

"At the beginning, when people were phoning, unfortunately, there was a mistake made," Brière said.

"The agents were provided with their ... guidelines to answer questions and it referred to gross income. That's what some of them have told Canadians when they were calling." 

And as it stands, the CRA dished out 441,000 letters to Canadians who they believe did not meet the requirements for the benefit.

*This article's cover image is for illustrative purposes only.