We are committed to sharing news, stories, events and opinions that ensures our province stays free, united and independent from the overreach of the Federal government.
All are welcome and respectful debate is encouraged. Please join with the intention of participating. Proceeds are donated.
Labour board backs firing over CERB fraud
CERB
CERBWS Files
Western Standard News Services
Western Standard News Services
Published on:
05 Apr 2025, 12:00 pm
A federal labour board has upheld the dismissal of a government employee who fraudulently claimed thousands in pandemic relief payments, marking the first ruling of its kind.
Blacklock's Reporter says an adjudicator with the Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board determined the employee knowingly disregarded eligibility rules.
“She knew the importance of correctly understanding eligibility criteria and sticking to it,” wrote adjudicator Nancy Rosenberg.
“However, in her own case, the grievor seemed to go out of her way to not clearly understand or obtain definitive information on the eligibility criteria and whether she met it. Her end goal seemed to be an attempt to maintain plausible deniability.”
Jacqueline Byrne, of St. John’s, who earned $64,000 annually as an Employment Insurance benefits officer with the Department of Employment, was fired after applying seven times for Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) payments, receiving a total of $14,000.
“She was still receiving her full department salary which made her ineligible,” Rosenberg wrote.
Byrne, a federal employee for 20 years, was responsible for ensuring accurate claim processing. She testified that she was confused by “conflicting information in the media.”
The Board rejected this argument and upheld her termination.
Rosenberg emphasized that Parliament designed CERB for specific hardship cases when it swiftly enacted the program to assist financially struggling Canadians.
“The temporary CERB program was put in place to ease the financial burden by quickly getting some money into the hands of impacted Canadians to cover their basic living needs, to help keep a roof overhead and food on the table,” she wrote.
At least 49 Department of Employment staff were fired for CERB fraud. A 2023 departmental briefing acknowledged widespread irregularities in the program, which exceeded its initial $24 billion estimate, ultimately costing $81.6 billion. Auditors have yet to fully account for the overspending.
Government figures show 190,254 people quit jobs to claim $2,000 monthly pandemic relief cheques.
Benefits were also paid to 1,522 prisoners, 704 claimants residing outside Canada, and 434 children under age 15, all of whom were ineligible under the Act.
The program also issued payments to 391 deceased individuals, including cases of attempted identity theft.
“As part of the intake control in place for the delivery of benefits, a verification of the individual’s identity through the Social Insurance Register was conducted,” stated the 2023 Briefing Binder.
“Applications were not processed in situations where the applicant’s death was registered.”
I want those responsible for giving the LONG list of ineligible recipients the money fined and made to pay back those funds to the taxpayers and I frankly don't care how the government collects it. Enough of this bullshit, that would end it.
Use these discount codes to get 1/2 price subscription.
Monthly FREEALBERTA -$1
Annual GWDISCOUNT- $12
StayFreeAlberta.com is live and can be used to sign up to volunteer, donate or find locations that will be collecting signatures. This will be updated continuously, so check back regularly.
APP will continue to educate Albertans on the merits of independence, but StayFreeAlberta is be responsible for collection of signatures.
Be sure that anyone that you might sign with is an accredited Elections Alberta Canvasser. There are huge fines for fraud.
Juan Pablo Sans
If you are American and you’re curious about why Trump forced Maduro out, you should read this first...
(An analysis by a Venezuelan who left Venezuela)
Because unless you are Venezuelan, you are missing almost everything that matters.
I am Venezuelan.
I left my country in 2013, when Hugo Chávez died and Nicolás Maduro took power.
I didn’t leave because I wanted to “try life abroad.”
I left because I could see what was coming, and staying meant watching my future shrink year after year.
So when Americans ask, “What do Venezuelans think about Trump forcing Maduro out of the presidency?”
Let me answer that question honestly, without slogans, without moral theater, and without pretending this is simple.
Most Venezuelans feel relief.
Not because we love Trump or because we believe the U.S. does things out of pure love for freedom.
And not because we are naïve about geopolitics, oil, or power.
We feel relief because we have lived through something Americans have never experienced: a country where nothing works, where elections don’t matter, where money stops being ...
