‘Speed was of the essence’ in rollout of COVID-19 benefit programs following AG’s report of overpayments, say experts, as feds set sights on recouping billions

In her recent bombshell report, the AG found $4.6-billion in COVID benefit overpayments to ineligible recipients, and another $27.4-billion that should be investigated further. Politicos and experts say the government had to get billions of dollars out the door quickly when the entire Canadian economy was shut down overnight in March 2020, but say it should now recover those billions accepted fraudulently.
Auditor General Karen Hogan speaks to reporters following the tabling of reports in the House of Commons on Dec. 6, 2022, auditing the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic programs.

Following Auditor General Karen Hogan's report highlighting tens of billions of dollars in overpayments to ineligible recipients of COVID-19 benefits, experts and economists maintain that the government was dealing with an unprecedented crisis, that benefits had to get out t...

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