The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has terminated the employment of 20 employees and is currently investigating approximately 600 others for improperly claiming COVID-19 financial aid benefits. According to CRA spokesperson Sylvie Branch, the agency is looking into its workers who have “inappropriately” applied for the $2,000-per-month Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) while remaining employed with the CRA. The number of terminated employees is expected to rise as the internal review continues. The CERB was introduced in March 2020 to provide financial support to individuals who lost their source of income due to COVID-19 related reasons. Eligibility for the benefit extended to employed individuals earning less than $1,000 per month. The CRA had previously announced that it was investigating this issue, but the exact number of terminated employees was not disclosed to protect privacy. Additionally, it has been revealed that other federal departments, such as Service Canada, have fired employees for defrauding the CERB program. A report from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada highlighted that both the CRA and Employment and Social Development Canada identified employees who claimed COVID-19 benefits and that a significant amount of overpayments were made to ineligible recipients. As of April 2023, over 600,000 Canadians who received CERB payments but were deemed ineligible have not yet repaid the debt. The CERB program concluded in September 2020, and remaining unemployed individuals were transferred to the employment insurance system.