The Liberal government intends on giving out coronavirus emergency payments to temporary foreign workers without requiring to see their valid work permits.
The decision, which was announced in a memo to federal staff, says that foreign workers only need to give their word to be approved to receive the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
Prior to the decision, foreign workers had to provide photographs of a valid work or work/study permit to receive the $2,000 a-month subsidy, but that is no longer the case.
The new directive also applies to others who are neither Canadian citizens nor permanent residents including students and refugee claimants who have a “900-series” social insurance number, according to the National Post.
According to a source familiar with the CERB system, the federal government would have no power to recover lost taxpayer dollars if someone makes an illegitimate claim and then proceeds to leave Canada.
“The Government of Canada will, whether it be in the upcoming weeks or at tax time next year, reconcile accounts and make sure people did not defraud the CERB,” said Maya Dura who is the spokeswoman for the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Ahmed Hussen.
Since the Trudeau government mutually closed Canada’s land border with the US over fears of the coronavirus, Canada has still been accepting temporary foreign workers into the country.
Despite the fact that Canada’s unemployment is at an all-time high, the Liberals have been promoting foreign labour in the agri-food sector.
In April, the Liberal government announced it would spend $50 million in taxpayer funds to cover the expenses and wages of the mandatory two week-isolation period workers must undergo before beginning their jobs.
“With so many young people out of work — so many of whom are desperate to get work experience, pay off debt and save for the future — it defies logic that our government is paying these young workers to stay at home, while also recruiting temporary foreign workers to come fill jobs that have been deemed essential services,” wrote True North founder Candice Malcolm.
