You can’t make omelettes without breaking eggs.
Because generous financial aid cannot be provided at full speed during a pandemic without occasionally missing the target.
We understand the Trudeau administration’s argument to justify the muddled nature of their pandemic relief programs. But it is a bit short, even very short.
Very generous
The federal government was known to have been very generous during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canadians and companies shared more than $210 billion in emergency aid.
Ottawa wasn’t watching. A small certificate and hey presto, the check was deposited.
Under the circumstances, it was the right thing to do. All federal parties initially agreed, including the Conservatives.
Being generous, having sympathy is justifiable.
What is more difficult to defend, however, is the laxity with which the Trudeau administration has attempted to correct its mistakes.
After all, it’s only a few billion!
Canada’s Auditor General, Karen Hogan, presented a report on Monday that once again makes it clear that we have completely lost our sense of proportion.
Ottawa would have overpaid nearly $5 billion in pandemic aid.
Add to that at least $27 billion that the federal government might have overpaid to individuals and businesses during the pandemic.
That’s not all. Ms. Hogan reserved more pearls for us in her report.
Like the $1.6 billion in CERBs paid to people who have voluntarily given up work, the $6 million to prisoners, the $2.2 million to people under the working age, or others $1.2 million to deceased.
So far, the federal government has made the minimum effort to recover a small portion of it, approximately $2.3 billion.
According to Treasury Secretary Diane Lebouthillier, the Court of Auditors exaggerates the overpayments. From how much? We do not know.
This vagueness is representative of the liberal strategy of shaping these costly programs from conception to completion.
“Lack of Rigor”
The liberals have the neat trick of saying today that it would cost a fortune to get all that money back. Does the federal government really have the means and the resources?
But what have they done in recent years to add safeguards and criteria that would simplify ex-post verification, especially when it comes to supporting businesses?
The Auditor General speaks of a “missed opportunity” and a “lack of rigor” in audit procedures.
It would also be appropriate to speak of a profound negligence in the management of public finances.
