Roundup: CRA changed the rules

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There has been a lot of consternation over the past few days of the “education letters” that CRA has been sending to people to say that they can’t verify their incomes and that they may need to repay their CERB benefits. The big complication, however, is that it appears that the CRA had quietly changed its income criteria from gross income to net income. But reporters have receipts, and CRA did make changes that they aren’t saying.

https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatt/status/1338505818090725378

This does seem to be something that the minister should probably look into, because this certainly looks bad for the CRA and like they are acting in bad faith – as the government keeps insisting that they will encourage flexibility and leniency for those who made mistakes “in good faith.” But if the mistake was CRA’s – or that they deliberately changed the criteria for whatever reason – then this is more than just people making errors in good faith, and punishing people for the CRA’s screw-ups is a really bad look in the current context.

Good reads:

  • The first doses of the Pfizer vaccine were administered yesterday, with more doses arriving later in the week.
  • Jonathan Wilkinson threw some shade at Doug Ford, saying that he either doesn’t understand the carbon levy, or he’s lying to people (and my bet is on the latter).
  • The government (finally) gave more details on their plan to plan two billion trees.
  • Karina Gould announced another $485 million to help provide COVID medicines to poor countries, as we are not yet at the point to send excess vaccines.
  • Here is a look at some of the likely amendments that the assisted dying bill will face as it goes for debate in the Senate.
  • Senator Percy Downe wants to amend the Broadcasting Act to prevent the CBC from using branded content and cancelling local news (like they did in the spring).

Odds and ends:

For the CBA’s National Magazine, I look at the government’s requesting a third extension on the assisted dying bill, and the rough ride it’ll get in the Senate.

My latest Loonie Politics video looks at bills on the Order Paper that should have passed before the Commons rose for the winter break.

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6 thoughts on “Roundup: CRA changed the rules”

  1. Unfortunately some of the austerity in grained bean counters at CRA are gaining control. Their minds are stuck in 1995 and all they see are the red numbers and totally ignore the help that these financial programs have given people.

  2. At last an article that one again explains how politicians like Ford use their feigned ignorance to hoodwink Canadians. Ford and others know full well that the carbon levy is neutral. They understand that it is a way to change behaviours. But as true right wing nuts they use the tried and false method of lies, misinformation, fearmongering and deception to cater to the uneducated for political gain. I want to see more “outing”

  3. The CPC and Postmedia newspapers made such a big deal about “unqualified” people getting CERB that it silenced CERB supporters and validated CERB critics within govt.
    So I guess it’s not surprising now that CRA hard-liners are harassing struggling people who needed CERB last spring to survive.

  4. Re: C-7, Denise Batters is probably the absolute worst mascot for the concept of “sober second thought.” Pity that there isn’t a framework to facilitate Harper’s useless patronage appointees towards medically assisted *career* suicide. The mental health of the body politic could be significantly improved if the likes of Batters, Housakos, Frum, and Beyak could STFU instead of being the resident Twitter trolls of the upper chamber.

    Coyne’s latest pearl-clutching diatribe on the issue is a slippery-slope fallacy that is patronizing and paternalistic as all get-out. Replace MAiD with abortion in his column this week, and he’d be roundly condemned as just another out-of-touch stale pale male wanting to control the private choices of people whose private choices he doesn’t like. Perhaps someone should get him a copy of “Our Bodies/Ourselves” for Christmas.

    • I chose Batters because she is one of the most vocal opponents, and that is absolutely going to be a factor in how it plays out in the Senate.

  5. i was wondering about the lady from Charlottetown…she made under 5 k the previous year and applied for CERB…why does she think she should get 13.5 k from the govt ?

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