CERB Cheats Could Be Looking At Jail Time According To This Leaked Document (UPDATED)
Some Canadians have been getting help from the government while they've been unable to work. While the Canada Emergency Response Benefit was easy to get, those who committed CERB fraud could see jail time or large fines.
In a draft bill obtained by The Globe And Mail, the Liberal government lays out punishments for people who fraudulently received the $2,000 a month benefit.
These include fines reaching up to $5,000 as well as up to twice the amount of improperly obtained money or the amount the person would have gotten. The draft lists another possibility, which is being fined plus getting six months in prison.
Some of the offences laid out in the bill include making false or misleading statements on an application and failing to disclose relevant income.
Penalties could also apply to people who "fail to return to work when it is reasonable to do so and the employer makes a request for their return, fail to resume self-employment when it is reasonable to do so or decline a reasonable job offer when they are able to work," according to the Globe and Mail.
If this proposal makes it to the government, it would be considered, reports the Globe.*
Government officials were also told to ignore any potential red flags when approving CERB applications.
There were early warnings that benefit payments that were received by people who shouldn't have been getting them would have to be paid back, but there had not previously been mention of fines or jail time.
Canadians have expressed their frustration on Twitter at the sudden introduction of penalties for people who might not have fully understood the criteria for receiving the benefit.
"This is insane. CERB eligibility rules changed multiple times and were a confusing mess. Now the Feds want to lock people up in jail who received it but were ineligible? How about we punish the corporate tax cheats who steal billions every year," reads a tweet from wearenorth99.
"They were encouraging people to apply and approving applications whether people qualified or not. Now they want to retroactively punish people?" wrote DartmouthDerek.
The CRA also recently added information to its fraud reporting system that specifically concerns benefits tied to COVID-19.
*This article has been updated.