Number of CRA employees fired for claiming CERB up to 232

A person looks at a Canada Revenue Agency homepage in Montreal, Sunday, August 16, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

The number of Canada Revenue Agency employees who have been fired for improperly claiming the COVID-era Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) continues to climb, reaching 232.

That is an increase from the 185 employees let go from the tax agency as of December 2023, for "inappropriately" applying to and receiving the emergency benefit while employed by the CRA.

"Anyone who is found to be ineligible for the CERB must repay it. Any CRA employee who inappropriately applied for and received the CERB will be required to repay the amounts if they haven't already done so," CRA spokesperson Sylvie Branch said in a statement.

In its latest update of what has been a months-long internal investigation into approximately 600 employees, the CRA said that, so far, 133 employees who came under the microscope were eligible for CERB.

That is an increase from the 116 employees — who may have been temporary workers or on student contracts — who were cleared as of late last year.

"The CRA's case-by-case review continues," Branch said.

Under the CERB program, Canadians could receive up to $2,000 a month in financial support if the measures put in place to control the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada had affected their employment.

Canada's auditor general reported in 2022 that of the estimated $211 billion in COVID-19 aid that the federal government provided, $4.6 billion in overpayments were made to people who were ineligible to receive those funds.

While the federal agency has noted that 600 staff represents less than one per cent of its more than 60,000-person workforce, the CRA acknowledged how important Canadians' trust is and has previously vowed that cases would be referred to law enforcement "if criminality is suspected."

"The actions of some should in no way undermine the honesty and integrity of the thousands of CRA employees who work every day in an exemplary manner to serve Canadians," Branch said.

With files from CTV News' Spencer Van Dyk and Michael Lee