The reason why CERB is so easy to get as opposed to E.I is that, there is no income verification as well as tax information verification either. Those things will be done in 2021 (confirmed by CRA agents) where the CRA will audit every single CERB applicant for full eligibility. It is not all free money, because every time you apply for CERB, you have to attest that you qualify for it. Did you know why they set the income qualification to $5000?!? That is because @$5000 and beyond, the CRA can charge anyone with fraud if you try to defraud the government of CERB money. Which is why many people who do need CERB do not qualify, because the CWB (Canadian Workers Benefit) threshold is set to only need $3500 income/yr to qualify for people to get a taxable refund of roughly $1000/yr. But if you set it the eligibility @ $3500 which will cover more people, that would mean you can not prosecute people when they defraud CERB because it is under $5000. That is one of the main reasons I think that they did that. Also, the CERB attest page shows that whenever you apply for CERB, you give the full rights for the CRA to audit all your tax returns to verify income eligibility. In Canada, when you make an income from either employment or self-employment, you are required to contribute in to the CPP (Canada Pension Plan) when you make more than $5000, which means it will show in your tax returns for the previous year. If someone didn't work at all in 2019, then you wouldn't be able to contribute to the CPP. And yet if you claim you made $5000 in 2019 and don't pay into the CPP, the CRA will be interested as to why they are exempt. If you file a false tax return, there are severe penalties including JAIL TIME. You see, while CERB doesn't punish you, filing a false tax return does. Why CERB had done and most of these people don't even realize is that, CERB applicants had given authority for the CRA to do a complete tax audit on all applicants. That's what that first page was supposed to convey on CERB! They might have missed that.
Having said that, there are people who qualified for CERB, paid into E.I for years and should be eligible to receive for what they had paid into. There are people who work in industries that may never recover for at least a year or they never will. So there are those people who are already contemplating changing careers. There are a lot in the aviation industry, who are very well paid, will have to contemplate in new careers. Also in the hospitality industry like cruise ships and tour operators and the high end hotel operators. Most of them are not going to be able to go back to work if ever. These people should deserve CERB and the E.I coming to them. These people actually contributed BILLIONS of DOLLARS into the government coffers as well as what supports many of our jobs. And now, some of us think they are freeloaders. To me, it is sickening these divisions and hatred going around right now pointing fingers from the media at people who had given to the tax base so much and now being treated as though we are a bunch of scumbags and the pests of society. The Liberal government knew that; which was why they are generous on CERB.
They know that if they allowed COVID to completely and utterly decimated some of our industries, it will mean more systemic long term unemployment, the same what did happen during the great depression of the 1930s, where people were literally begging on the streets for food and shelter. Why did the great depression of the 1930 was allowed to happen. That's because, the government then thought they don't deserve any handouts; every man or woman should be responsible for their own welfare during tough times.
CERB also helps the economy indirectly too. People use CERB money to stimulate the economy. Why did you think Apple, Walmart and Costco are doing so well and some of these companies are hiring more people. The stimulus check and payment are the majority part of that boost in the economy. Without CERB, you think you will have a job today? And without E.I, how do you think you will pay your rent and food and bills?
People seemed to have this self-centered selfish mentality nowadays that they think their jobs are secure and their employers pay them a regular salary like an ATM machine. Money just flows into your bank. Such simplistic thinking. Where do you think your boss and employer earns that money to pay you? From other people who pay to your employer for rendered services. If other people don't have money, where do you think your employer get the money to pay you? Our economy is connected and intertwined. We are all in it together and the government knows that. That's why all governments in the world tried similar strategies of stimulating the economy with borrowed money. Better to keep the economy alive rather than let it die. The worst would be more painful than what we see right now. Fraud always happens, but just let the CRA do their job. They are very good at doing theirs and they even have a website for shaming those who think they can outsmart the CRA. That website is a good reminder that you don't f*ck with the CRA.