Jagmeet Singh Is Urging Canadians To Sign A New Petition Against CERB Repayments

As hundreds of thousands of Canadians prepare for CERB repayments ahead of 2021, Jagmeet Singh is calling on the federal government to scrap the “clawback” via a new petition.

In a tweet shared on December 19, the NDP leader accused the government of telling Canadians to apply for the benefit and then changing the rules.

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[...] Instead of helping families cope with the pandemic, the Liberals are unfairly penalizing workers for applying for the CERB in good faith, for the Liberal’s own mistake. Jagmeet Singh

“People are worried about how they’ll pay the bills,” tweeted Singh. “They shouldn’t have to pay for the Liberals’ mistake.”

As part of his message, the party leader shared a new petition calling on the government to stop the “CERB clawback.”

The online document says the current repayment program is “heartless,” particularly as many Canadians are struggling to get by during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s especially heartless when it’s due to the Liberals own mistake,” reads the petition.

The Liberal government and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) have been criticized by opposing parties for failing to make the original CERB criteria clear, particularly when it came to net and gross income requirements for self-employed individuals.

Earlier this month, the CRA revealed that 441,000 people had been contacted about repaying the benefit.