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

The reason?

sa国际传媒淲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.sa国际传媒�

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

In other words, because the initial CERB payment was deemed to be an sa国际传媒榓dvance,sa国际传媒� 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 sa国际传媒淒id you get 2 CERB payments? Itsa国际传媒檚 not a mistake, Minister sayssa国际传媒�.

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

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

Aside from the confusion created on part of the government, I also question the governmentsa国际传媒檚 logic on this.

If the intent was to sa国际传媒渁dvancesa国际传媒� funds sa国际传媒渋n order to get money in your pocket as quickly as possible,sa国际传媒� 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 sa国际传媒渞etroactive paymentsa国际传媒� 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 sa国际传媒渃lawed backsa国际传媒� 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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