Let it be over

It’s time to wind down the collection of pandemic benefits from Canada’s poorest and most marginalized residents

Canada’s pandemic benefits were designed for speed, not precision. That was appropriate in a crisis, but it also meant that many people applied in good faith, based on unclear guidance and changing eligibility rules. Years later, the federal government is still pursuing repayment from many of those same people, even when they have little or no ability to pay.

What the report shows

The report shows that Canada stands out internationally. Unlike the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, Canada continues to pursue repayment from the poorest recipients instead of drawing a line under pandemic-era overpayments. It also shows that the current system is especially harsh for people who were already poor, including social assistance recipients, people in precarious work, and people in the cash economy.

A system that compounds harm

For many people, CERB and CRB were clawed back by provincial social assistance, only for the federal government to come after the same dollars again. Others have faced rigid evidence standards, repeated reassessments, and no meaningful discretion to settle based on hardship or partial repayment. The result is a recovery regime that is costly to administer, difficult to navigate, and deeply unfair.

What should happen next

Canada should stop treating poverty and confusion as if they were fraud.

The report calls for a structured wind-down of CERB and CRB collections. That includes forgiveness for low-income people, proportional settlements where some repayment is possible, reconciliation of provincial clawbacks, and a fixed end date for routine recovery efforts.

Canada acted quickly in an emergency. It should now act with equal clarity to end a recovery process that is prolonging harm for the people least able to bear it.