CERB Fraudsters Could Face $5,000 Fines and Jail Time

Tuesday, 9 June 2020 11:58

Prime Minister Trudeau says they are not going to punish people who made honest mistakes, however anyone who deliberately took advantage of coronavirus benefits could face hefty fines or jail time.

CANADA - The Prime Minister says they are going to crack down on being who took advantage of the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit.

Justin Trudeau says they knew from the beginning that some, would try to take advantage of the system.

"The Canada Emergency Response Benefit was put in place in a way we knew would maximize the speed it would reach the millions of Canadians who needed it. That is why we didn't put a tremendous amount of background checks and verifications up front, because we needed to flow that money quickly to the millions of Canadians had no more pay cheques and didn't know how they were going to pay for their groceries or their rent but we always knew from the beginning that their would be mistakes and indeed their would be a small number of fraudsters who would try to take advantage of it.

Trudeau says they are not going go after people who made an honest mistake.

"There may be a number of people who mistakenly took both the CERB and the wage subsidy because they weren't sure what they were going to do and they were really worried and they just took everything. Those people will simply have to pay back the one they shouldn't have taken and we are not looking at punishing people who made honest mistakes."

However people who purposely defrauded the Country could face major fines or penalties.

"Unfortunately in every situation, there are a few criminals who will try to take advantage of a moment of solidarity, a moment where we are in crisis and trying to help each other out by deliberately defrauding the system. We will make sure that we are punishing people who are trying to take advantage of this situation and we have put measures in place that will allow us to go after the deliberate fraudsters."

Anyone who made a fraudulent claim for the CERB or other emergency benefits could face a fine of up to $5,000, and jail time.