The Canadian federal government sent at least C$4.6 billion worth of Covid relief payments to those who were ineligible for them, said the country’s Auditor General Karen Hogan while announcing the fall audit, on Tuesday. On the other hand, she praised the government’s swift procurement and vaccine distribution as well as the pandemic relief and benefits rolled out to the citizens.&nbsp;

The audit of benefits, “found that overpayments of C$4.6 billion were made to ineligible individuals,” said Hogan. She added that an “estimated C$27.4 billion of payments to individuals and employers should be investigated further”.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The reason for these overpayments has been attributed to the&nbsp;Prime Minister Justin Trudeau&nbsp;government's&nbsp;decision, in 2020, to rely on information provided by applicants and limit pre-payment controls to fast-track the Covid relief for people and employers affected by the pandemic.&nbsp;

The AG noted that while at least C$2.3 billion in overpayments have been recovered through voluntary repayments by this summer the federal government might run out of time to identify and recover the rest of the amount.&nbsp;The federal government legally has three years, starting from the time when the payment was made, to verify if it was proper.

However, Hogan said that while the federal government is legally bound to verify every payment if it does not choose to do so, it must explain the decision to the Canadian citizens, considering these payments went to low-income households and individuals.&nbsp;

Furthermore, the AG’s report also noted while the&nbsp;Trudeau government’s sourcing and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines was a success, the Public Health Agency of Canada ended up with a large surplus of doses.&nbsp;

Reportedly, by the end of May, earlier this year, the country had a little over 50 million doses which were deemed a surplus and were being offered to other countries. However, only 15.3 million could be donated while at least 13.6 million expired. Therefore, the audit recommends using this surplus in booster campaigns or donating them as most of them will expire by the end of this year.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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The Canadian federal government sent at least C$4.6 billion worth of Covid relief payments to those who were ineligible for them, said the country’s Auditor General Karen Hogan while announcing the fall audit, on Tuesday.

The Canadian federal government sent at least C$4.6 billion worth of Covid relief payments to those who were ineligible for them, said the country’s Auditor General Karen Hogan while announcing the fall audit, on Tuesday. On the other hand, she praised the government’s swift procurement and vaccine distribution as well as the pandemic relief and benefits rolled out to the citizens. The audit of benefits, “found that overpayments of C$4.6 billion were made to ineligible individuals,” said Hogan. She added that an “estimated C$27.4 billion of payments to individuals and employers should be investigated further”. The reason for these overpayments has been attributed to the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau government's decision, in 2020, to rely on information provided by applicants and limit pre-payment controls to fast-track the Covid relief for people and employers affected by the pandemic. The AG noted that while at least C$2.3 billion in overpayments have been recovered through voluntary repayments by this summer the federal government might run out of time to identify and recover the rest of the amount. The federal government legally has three years, starting from the time when the payment was made, to verify if it was proper. However, Hogan said that while the federal government is legally bound to verify every payment if it does not choose to do so, it must explain the decision to the Canadian citizens, considering these payments went to low-income households and individuals. Furthermore, the AG’s report also noted while the Trudeau government’s sourcing and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines was a success, the Public Health Agency of Canada ended up with a large surplus of doses. Reportedly, by the end of May, earlier this year, the country had a little over 50 million doses which were deemed a surplus and were being offered to other countries. However, only 15.3 million could be donated while at least 13.6 million expired. Therefore, the audit recommends using this surplus in booster campaigns or donating them as most of them will expire by the end of this year. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Canada: Federal government gave C$4.6 billion in Covid relief payments to ineligible people, says AG

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Wednesday that Canada will end the rarely used emergency measures used nine days ago to deal with weeks-long protests that shut some border crossings and paralysed Ottawa since late January.

"The situation is no longer an emergency. Therefore, the federal government will be ending the use of the Emergencies Act," he told a news conference.

"We are confident that existing laws and bylaws are now sufficient to keep people safe," he said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/canada-justin-trudeaus-government-fires-a-woman-for-donating-100-to-protesters-454906">Canada: Justin Trudeau's government fires a woman for donating $100 to protesters</a>

Prime Minister Trudeau said Canada's governor-general will formally revoke the emergency measures in the coming hours.

Following Trudeau's announcement last week, the Emergencies Act was approved by the House of Commons on Monday, but not without opposition.

Invoking the powers was seen by the main opposition Conservative Party and some provincial leaders as overreaching.

The government said that the use of these powers would have a time limit. According to Trudeau, the powers were needed because the blockades threatened the economy and the public and because they helped coordinate the police forces.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/major-win-for-pm-justin-trudeau-canadas-parliament-approves-emergencies-act-455220">Major win for PM Justin Trudeau: Canada's parliament approves Emergencies Act</a>

"Trudeau backs down," Pierre Poilievre, a Conservative lawmaker who is running for leadership of the party, said on Twitter. "Thank you to all who fought this abuse of power."

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These powers included freezing the accounts of those suspected of supporting the blockades without obtaining a court order.

According to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, the purpose of freezing the accounts was "to convince people who took part in the occupation and the illegal blockades to listen to reason," adding that the government had already ordered banks to unfreeze the accounts.

The aim of freezing the accounts was &nbsp;Freeland said, adding that the government had already asked banks to begin "to unfreeze these bank accounts."

Watch |&nbsp;Canada: Freedom convoy protests end in Ottawa but Justin Trudeau still backs emergency powers

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Ontario has also ended a state of emergency it declared earlier this month in response to protests.

The protests, which began as opposition to Trudeau's minority Liberal government's mandate on vaccinations for truck drivers, were put to an end over the weekend in Ottawa.

(With inputs from agencies)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Wednesday that Canada will end the rarely used emergency measures used nine days ago to deal with weeks-long protests that shut some border crossings and paralysed Ottawa since late January.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Wednesday that Canada will end the rarely used emergency measures used nine days ago to deal with weeks-long protests that shut some border crossings and paralysed Ottawa since late January. "The situation is no longer an emergency. Therefore, the federal government will be ending the use of the Emergencies Act," he told a news conference. "We are confident that existing laws and bylaws are now sufficient to keep people safe," he said. Also read | Canada: Justin Trudeau's government fires a woman for donating $100 to protesters Prime Minister Trudeau said Canada's governor-general will formally revoke the emergency measures in the coming hours. Following Trudeau's announcement last week, the Emergencies Act was approved by the House of Commons on Monday, but not without opposition. Invoking the powers was seen by the main opposition Conservative Party and some provincial leaders as overreaching. The government said that the use of these powers would have a time limit. According to Trudeau, the powers were needed because the blockades threatened the economy and the public and because they helped coordinate the police forces. Also read | Major win for PM Justin Trudeau: Canada's parliament approves Emergencies Act "Trudeau backs down," Pierre Poilievre, a Conservative lawmaker who is running for leadership of the party, said on Twitter. "Thank you to all who fought this abuse of power." BREAKING: Trudeau backs down. Will drop Emergencies Act. Thank you to all who fought this abuse of power. pic.twitter.com/Aj4L74ZTli — pierrepoilievre (@PierrePoilievre) February 23, 2022 × These powers included freezing the accounts of those suspected of supporting the blockades without obtaining a court order. According to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, the purpose of freezing the accounts was "to convince people who took part in the occupation and the illegal blockades to listen to reason," adding that the government had already ordered banks to unfreeze the accounts. The aim of freezing the accounts was Freeland said, adding that the government had already asked banks to begin "to unfreeze these bank accounts." Watch | Canada: Freedom convoy protests end in Ottawa but Justin Trudeau still backs emergency powers Ontario has also ended a state of emergency it declared earlier this month in response to protests. The protests, which began as opposition to Trudeau's minority Liberal government's mandate on vaccinations for truck drivers, were put to an end over the weekend in Ottawa. (With inputs from agencies)

'Trudeau backs down': Canadian PM revokes emergency powers

After New York, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also suggested making <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">coronavirus vaccines</a> compulsory for government employees.

His worries have come at a time when the Canada is bracing itself for a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus?page=1">Covid surge</a> due to the Delta variant. "We need to get vaccinated to get through this pandemic, particularly with all the real concerns around the Delta variant we are facing that is striking hardest, obviously, in under-vaccinated and non-vaccinated people," Trudeau said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-germany-and-israel-france-announces-plans-for-booster-shots-despite-whos-warning-403134" hreflang="en">After Germany and Israel, France announces plans for booster shots despite WHO's warning</a>

He also added that the government is focusing on government-regulated workplaces to encourage employees to get vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus as soon as possible. If the vaccines are made compulsory, it would lead to nearly 1.3 million government employees getting vaccinated.

Voicing his concern about the danger posed by the Delta variant, Trudeau warned locals that getting vaccinated is “no longer a matter of individual choice”. He stressed that is for the betterment and protection of the "community and our children who haven’t had the opportunity to be vaccinated".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/no-confusion-cnn-fires-three-employees-for-coming-to-work-unvaccinated-403355" hreflang="en">'No confusion': CNN fires three employees for coming to work unvaccinated</a>

As of now, nearly 65 per cent of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated and almost 80 per cent of the eligible population has received the first dose of the vaccine.

Meanwhile, the province of Quebec has decided to rollout 'vaccine passports' which will bring in the vaccine mandate that suggests that all non-essential public spaces such as gyms, restaurants, clubs etc will be available only to those who have been fully vaccinated.

Trudeau has lent support to this move by the government of Quebec.

After New York, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also suggested making coronavirus vaccines compulsory for government employees. His worries have come at a time when the Canada is bracing itself for a Covid surge due to the Delta variant.

After New York, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also suggested making coronavirus vaccines compulsory for government employees. His worries have come at a time when the Canada is bracing itself for a Covid surge due to the Delta variant. "We need to get vaccinated to get through this pandemic, particularly with all the real concerns around the Delta variant we are facing that is striking hardest, obviously, in under-vaccinated and non-vaccinated people," Trudeau said. Also read | After Germany and Israel, France announces plans for booster shots despite WHO's warning He also added that the government is focusing on government-regulated workplaces to encourage employees to get vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus as soon as possible. If the vaccines are made compulsory, it would lead to nearly 1.3 million government employees getting vaccinated. Voicing his concern about the danger posed by the Delta variant, Trudeau warned locals that getting vaccinated is “no longer a matter of individual choice”. He stressed that is for the betterment and protection of the "community and our children who haven’t had the opportunity to be vaccinated". Also read | 'No confusion': CNN fires three employees for coming to work unvaccinated As of now, nearly 65 per cent of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated and almost 80 per cent of the eligible population has received the first dose of the vaccine. Meanwhile, the province of Quebec has decided to rollout 'vaccine passports' which will bring in the vaccine mandate that suggests that all non-essential public spaces such as gyms, restaurants, clubs etc will be available only to those who have been fully vaccinated. Trudeau has lent support to this move by the government of Quebec.

Canada's Justin Trudeau suggests compulsory Covid vaccine for government employees