More than 300 employees at the Canada Revenue Agency were terminated last year due to their improper receipt of the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the last round of layoffs occurring in the past three months.

The CRA launched an internal review in June 2023 for employees who received CERB despite being ineligible for the benefit, which identified 600 employees for further investigation.

It is worth mentioning that this benefit, known as CERB for short, provided $2,000 monthly to Canadians who lost their jobs as a result of public health restrictions during the pandemic.

The agency states that 185 individuals were not terminated for receiving CERB, but 40 of them faced disciplinary actions, such as suspensions. Meanwhile, 135 employees were found to be eligible for CERB and therefore faced no consequences.

Some employees may have been eligible because they were students or full-time employees.

On the other hand, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) states that employees who received CERB illegally and inappropriately are required to repay the benefits they received.

The agency indicates that a small number of ongoing cases, including employees on medical leave or extended unpaid leave, will take longer to resolve.