CRA fires 120 employees over 'inappropriate' CERB claims

Daniel Johnson , BNN Bloomberg

A Canada Revenue Agency sign outside the National Headquarters at the Connaught Building in Ottawa is seen on Monday, March 1, 2021. Getting an income tax refund can be a happy bonus for your household budget, but an unexpected tax bill can be an unpleasant surprise, especially if you don't have the cash on hand to pay the bill. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang)

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) reported that 120 employees have been let go due to fraudulently claiming the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) while employed with the federal agency.

The CRA launched an internal review in June to identify employees that “inappropriately claimed” CERB, and provided an update on the process on Friday.

“Out of the approximately 600 cases we can report that 120 individuals are no longer with the CRA as a result of this internal review. The investigations and disciplinary processes continue,” the agency said in a written statement.

“Any CRA employee who inappropriately claimed the CERB will be required to repay the amounts if they haven’t already done so.”

The agency said its review spanned “the past few months” and was conducted on a case-by-case basis.

The federal government launched the Canada Emergency Response Benefit in 2020 to support Canadian workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.