Question Period Note: PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF ESDC PROGRAMS

What is ESDC doing to ensure the proactively monitor and detect unusual or suspicious activity of departmental systems and ensure the integrity of benefit programs and services delivered to Canadians?

ESDC/Service Canada has robust controls and mechanisms in place that actively monitor and identify potential cases of error, fraud or abuse in our systems.

Maintaining a valid security status is a condition of employment, such that revocation of this status leads to termination of employment.

During the investigation of these cases, 54 employees were found to have misrepresented their employment circumstances to obtain benefits they were not eligible to receive for reasons that cast doubt as to their reliability. In accordance with the Standard on Security Screening, their reliability status was revoked and their employment was terminated.

These measures support the sound stewardship of public funds.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada remained committed to ensuring that Canadians were provided with the financial supports and services they needed as quickly as possible to get through this difficult time.

We know that in times of crisis, the risk of fraud is heightened. ESDC/Service Canada has robust data analytics capabilities that have been actively monitoring and identifying cases of potential fraud in our systems since the launch of the CERB.

ESDC/Service Canada implemented several initiatives and measures to review the situation and identify irregularities.

ESDC/Service Canada conducted an administrative investigation into a total of 164 departmental employees due to potential misrepresentation identified.  Among the completed investigations, 54 employees were terminated due to the revocation of their security status.

Protecting the integrity of programs, their use and departmental information is of the utmost importance and requires that ESDC maintain rigorous security practices, including taking proactive measures against the risks that employees of the ministry may pose.

That being said, the security status of some employees were revoked following an investigation that determined they did not meet the eligibility criteria and knowingly claimed these benefits. As a result, these employees failed to demonstrate continued honesty and trustworthiness to maintain their security status..

ESDC/Service Canada is committed to upholding the public’s confidence in the integrity of the federal public sector, which is essential to Canada’s well-being.

Maintaining a valid security status is a condition of employment and its revocation results in the termination of employment.

The Department actively promotes a strong ethical culture by providing all employees with resources, tools, training, communications, and support on values and ethics.

ESDC/Service Canada takes the findings of its internal investigations very seriously and has taken action to recover ineligible payments. These employees will be required to pay back any payment they were not entitled to receive, just as any other Canadian found to be ineligible to receive COVID-19 Emergency benefits.