The Federal Government Is Not Backing Down When It Comes To CERB Repayments

When it comes to CERB repayments, the federal government is reportedly not currently considering letting people off.

In an interview on Wednesday, federal Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough admitted that she feels “bad” for those who need to repay, but confirmed the government has no plans to scrap the repayments.

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There's not a conversation happening right now where we would forgive people, where we would not require people who were not eligible to pay it back. No. Carla Qualtrough

Qualtrough told CBC News that while “nothing is off the table,” those who mistakenly claimed the benefit will still be expected to repay the money they received.

"Of course I feel bad. We all feel bad," she added, acknowledging that there was a lot of confusion relating to the original application form and eligibility.

"I had thought to myself I had been pretty clear in my communications," she said.

"But obviously, if people misunderstood, that's on us. It's up to us to communicate these programs, as complex as they are."

This comes as other political parties, including the Green Party and the NDP, have urged the federal government to scrap repayments for those who applied incorrectly but in good faith.

Earlier this month, the CRA revealed that around 441,000 Canadians had been contacted about repaying the COVID-19 benefit.

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