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Canada Revenue Agency

Question period dealt with a reported scam in which the Canada Revenue Agency paid out large sums, including a reported $10 million, to a fraudster, with a bank stopping further payments rather than the CRA. The Conservatives asked why the agency did not catch the scheme, when the money would be recovered, and why the finance minister was reportedly unaware of it, arguing the CRA is mismanaged. The Liberals said they could not comment on specific cases, that tax fraud is a crime carrying penalties including fines and up to 14 years in prison, and that new checks and tighter oversight have been put in place to stop refund fraud.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

4 statements

Jasraj Hallan

Conservative
“The tax agency sent $10 million to a scammer who warned them he was doing it. The bank had to step in to stop more money from going out. News reports say about $300 million has been lost to this scam, and the finance minister says he does not know about it. Why does he not know, and when will Canadians get that money back?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals set a gold standard for incompetence at the CRA. A so-called sovereign citizen stole $10 million from the CRA. He called and told them he was going to commit the scam, and they gave him the money anyway. The bank had to stop future payments, not the CRA, even though it was known that he was committing the scam. The CBC claims that there is around $300 million in bogus claims going out under the same scam. The incompetent finance minister says he is clueless. Why does he not know, and when will Canadians get their $300 million back?

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Wayne Long

Liberal
“I cannot talk about specific cases. Tax fraud is a crime, and people who do it can face heavy fines and up to 14 years in prison. We have new checks in place to catch scams and large false refunds.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 45 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we cannot talk about specific cases. The member knows that. Let us be clear that fraud is a crime and that anyone who commits fraud will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. This could include up to 14 years in prison, and extensive fines and penalties of up to 200%. There are new measures in place to ensure fraud and scams are detected, including secondary reviews of large refunds. We will stop at nothing to ensure those who have committed crimes are brought to justice.

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Jasraj Hallan

Conservative

Linked statement

“The government has badly mismanaged the tax agency. A bank had to stop these payments because the tax agency failed to do it. The government gives millions in tax breaks to its insider friends, but takes every dollar it can from regular Canadians. When will the government collect this money and give Canadians answers?”

  • Opposition question in Question Period

    Signal 22 of 100

    Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, that answer should be treated like fraud. The fact that the bank had to stop future payments and not the CRA speaks volumes to how bad these guys have messed up the CRA. They will give their Liberal-connected insiders millions of dollars in tax-free writeoffs if they are connected to their green slush fund scandal, but they will fleece Canadians for every single dollar. The CRA minister said the buck stops with him. When will they collect the money? When will Canadians get answers?

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Wayne Long

Liberal
“I cannot comment on specific cases, but tax fraud is illegal and the CRA will always act against it. We have added new rules, tighter checks, and more oversight to stop refund fraud.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 45 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

    See full analysis

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Clarity 47 of 100

    Much of this statement used imprecise wording, lacked details on timing or responsibility, or made broad claims without support.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the member knows that abuse of the tax system is illegal, and the CRA will always take enforcement action when tax fraud occurs. We all know we cannot comment on specific cases, but Canadians can be assured that when it comes to fraud, every action is on the table to hold fraudsters to account. We have implemented additional safeguards to help ensure greater consistency and accuracy in refund processing. The measures include strengthening controls, intensified oversight and tightened authority levels. On this side of the House, we will go after—

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