Trudeau says innocent CERB mistakes won’t be punished

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says people who made legitimate mistakes when making claims under the Canada Emergency Response Benefit won’t face consequences.

But he says his government will punish those who are deliberately trying to game the system during the pandemic.

The Liberal government has drafted a bill that would fine or imprison those making fraudulent CERB claims.

But federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says the bill provided to opposition parties this weekend would hurt the vulnerable people CERB was designed to help.

Calling it irresponsible and wrong-headed, Singh says new criminal penalties will hit poor people harder.

He says the tax system should be used to recover funds that should not have been paid, rather than fining or jailing people eduring a pandemic.