“For the first time inspectors are going out to talk to Canadians with respect to Employment Insurance, whether or not they have any reason to believe that there has been any instance of fraud or of misleading in the case of the person they are interviewing,” ... Bob Rae said... “Can the Prime Minister confirm that in fact managers will be receiving bonuses depending on the performance of those agents?”
In response, Harper said it is the government’s legal responsibility to take “all necessary steps” to ensure those who are entitled to get them the money receive it. “When people who are not entitled to get the money get the money, the only losers are the unemployed and the workers who paid in and we are determined to protect them,” he said.
No denial, just dodge-dodge. Performance will be determined by how much money so called inspectors (what is their training?) save by turning down claims. Clients will resent this, rightfully so, and federal HRDC staff are to treat all clients as potential fraudsters.
What a mean, vicious government. Who are public servants going to be forced to turn on next? They've already been forced to look up dirt on people for the Minister of Defence. They've been told to spy on aboriginal activists. They've been muzzled through policies and scare tactics into suppressing information that is meant for the public. They've been pressured into silence when other public servants are being mistreated.
Public servants? It's becoming just a label because harper acts as though all 300,000 plus are there to serve him.
2 comments:
I suppose "fraud" is a constant. Of course a Guaranteed Annual Income would negate even the concept of fraud.
But in a time of 10% unemployment, with half the workers in Toronto (the richest city in the country) documented as being in insecure, contract work, for harper to be obsessing over "fraud" is inane.
For the record, when the Swiss bank employee leaked all the illegal secret accounts from all over the world, the Canadian government was notably uninterested in pursuing these withheld millions.
Shit, the EI premiums that financed Paul Martin's tax-cuts for the wealthy probably ended up in some of these accounts.
right. PSA (formerly blogger for CC) pointed something out that's so obvious I shouldn't even have to think about it. All three parties are so concerned about pandering to the far right to get votes. He's right. The far rightists are the biggest abusers of tax dollars, give little back, and have created many of our problems. There is no compromise with them, so the pandering has to stop.
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