“I can imagine these people hiking up their sweaters and showing the scars." – Rodger Cuzner

I asked, in an earlier post, what information the EI inspectors are told to gather.  Thanks to the CBC, we have a partial answer - 

Investigatorswith the Integrity Services Branch were provided with a 23-page manual, dated October 2012, outlining investigative techniques intended to be used in a pilot project starting in November and winding up at the end of March.

…In some cases, the investigative techniques seem to delve into the far corners EI claimants' lives.
For claimants who are collecting maternity benefits that are part of the EI system, investigators are told to verify:

• The child's identity and parentage.
• In some cases, "the maternal relationship to the claimant."
• Proof of the child's birth, a date that can be compared to the "maternity window."

…Asked about the questions suggested for those collecting maternity benefits, Cuzner said, "It's playing out like a bad episode of Jerry Springer. I can imagine these people hiking up their sweaters and showing the scars."

(makes me wonder if Vellacott is involved, considering his obsession with vaginas)

Besides finding this approach as obtrusive and offensive as Cuzner does, this latest still leaves me with a lot of questions.  How do investigators verify these things?  What security clearance do they have to access such personal information?  How, and to who is this information distributed?  The pamphlets seems to direct the inspectors to delve into many areas of a person’s private life, even if there is no reason to suspect fraud –

The document makes it clear the Service Canada employees are to leave no stone unturned in their inquiries, even in the absence of evidence that selected EI recipients had done anything wrong. The document suggests investigators check addresses, bank accounts, medical documents and even the physical appearance of claimants. (emphasis mine)

Nothing to fear if you’ve done nothing wrong?  Really?

Meanwhile, the queen of ice tries, but fails to justify the new procedures -

However, in a statement, Finley said, "Service Canada was able to stop almost a half billion dollars in ineligible payments last year, but the employment insurance program still lost hundreds of millions due to fraud."

First of all, Ms. Ice has not provided proof of that ½ billion.

Secondly, how  can she know that hundreds of millions were lost due to fraud?  If fraud was detected, why not go after the fraudsters and recover the money?

Oh…wait…those must be cases of that unreported crime Toews was going on about.