PACC Committee Report

            The Standing Committee on Public Accounts recommended:

That the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency include a discussion of the human, technological, and financial resources it intends to devote to dealing with employment insurance claims where abuse or fraud is suspected in its Report on Plans and Priorities for fiscal year 2002-2003.

RESPONSE

The Government agrees with this recommendation.

The CCRA created and classified positions with respect to Complex Case Officers for both Rulings and Appeals.  These officers will be strategically placed in all areas across the country.

A comprehensive training package on investigative skills has been developed and has been given to most of the CCTROs.  Additionally, a training package in evidence gathering developed for Appeals by the Department of Justice has been given to most of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP)/EI appeals officers.

HRDC is invited to attend these training sessions in an effort to sensitize its staff to the process.  This in turn gives them insight as to the commitment level that the CCRA has towards these types of referrals and potential appeals, as well as providing them with knowledge on how to maximize the effectiveness of their referrals.

Both HRDC and the CCRA have committed to holding joint meetings and to attend each other’s workshops.  As previously mentioned, there have already been two national meetings to date, and the collaborative efforts during these meetings have already yielded a number of processes and mechanisms for dealing with cases where fraud and abuse is suspected. 

During the last few years, CCRA Rulings invested in the development of a system (Case Management System) to manage and track its national rulings inventories.  This technology will also be used to track fraud cases.  The system will eventually be linked to HRDC in order to facilitate referrals and communication.

The Decision Support System is also the result of technological investment made by CCRA Rulings.  The system provides statistical information which is used to measure and monitor performance by CCRA’s field operations as it relates to rulings, including fraud cases.

The CCRA will include a discussion of the human, technological, and financial resources it intends to devote to dealing with EI claims where abuse or fraud is suspected in its Report on Plans and Priorities for the fiscal year 2002-2003.