Some citizens currently receiving the CERB benefit were shocked and alarmed to receive news this week that they 乌鸦传媒渨ill not receive a payment when you complete your next report.乌鸦传媒�

The reason?

乌鸦传媒淲hen you first applied for the CERB, you received two payments; a payment of $2,000 as well as a payment following your initial report. This $2,000 was an advance on four weeks of the CERB, which was issued in order to get money in your pocket as quickly as possible.乌鸦传媒�

The communication from the Trudeau government then goes on to say, 乌鸦传媒淏ecause of this advance, you will not receive not receive a payment when you complete your next report乌鸦传媒�.

In other words, because the initial CERB payment was deemed to be an 乌鸦传媒榓dvance,乌鸦传媒� it is now being fully clawed back.

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For many citizens, who were completely unaware that this initial $2,000 was considered to be an advance, they are now seriously adversely impacted having had no prior warning this situation was going to occur.

According to the Liberal government, when people submitted their first reports, they were told in advance that this would occur and how this would happen.

As the opposition shadow minister with the critic portfolio for this file, I feel that it is important that we refer back to media reports on April 8, 2020.

In particular Global News reported the headline 乌鸦传媒淒id you get 2 CERB payments? It乌鸦传媒檚 not a mistake, Minister says乌鸦传媒�.

The article further quotes that, 乌鸦传媒淭reasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos clarified during a press conference on Wednesday. The second deposit is a retroactive payment.乌鸦传媒�

For many Canadians who heard the president of the Treasury Board declare this $2,000 was a 乌鸦传媒渞etroactive payment乌鸦传媒� and relied on that in good faith, they are shocked and confused to be told the payment was actually an 乌鸦传媒渁dvance乌鸦传媒� and will be now clawed back.

Aside from the confusion created on part of the government, I also question the government乌鸦传媒檚 logic on this.

If the intent was to 乌鸦传媒渁dvance乌鸦传媒� funds 乌鸦传媒渋n order to get money in your pocket as quickly as possible,乌鸦传媒� this raises an important question.

We can assume the intent to rush the payment was to avoid placing people into dire financial circumstances.

So how does fully clawing back an entire CERB payment, with no advance notice, not end up putting citizens into a dire financial situation now?

All of this confusion occurred because the Liberal government did not clarify that this was not a 乌鸦传媒渞etroactive payment乌鸦传媒� but rather an advance.

The Prime Minister has had many morning appearances outside of his cottage where this could have easily been clarified.

It has not been.

This follows a trend.

For example, when the CERB program was first announced by the Minister of Employment, Ms. Qualtrough said in the House of Commons that the benefit was non-taxable.

We now know it is taxable.

Similarly, the Prime Minister provided erroneous information regarding student eligibility on the CERB program that to this day not been clarified.

All of these communication errors could result in citizens having support funds 乌鸦传媒渃lawed back乌鸦传媒� unexpectedly.

My question this week: Does the Prime Minister have an obligation to correct and clarify inaccurate information that Canadians rely on?

Dan Albas is the Member of Parliament for the riding of Central Okanagan Similkameen Nicola. This riding includes the communities of Kelowna, West Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland, Keremeos, Princeton, Merritt and Logan Lake.

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news@summerlandreview.com.

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