EI whistleblower suspended without pay

You are currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and that there are some features you can't use or read.

We are an active community of worldwide senior members participating in chat, politics, travel, health, blogging, graphics, computer issues & help, book club, literature & poetry, finance discussions, recipe exchange and much more. Also, as a member you will be able to access member only sections, many features, send personal messages, make new friends, etc.

Registration is simple, fast and completely free. Why not register today and become a part of the group. Registration button at the very top left of the page.

Thank you for stopping by.

Join our community!

In case of difficulty, email worldwideseniors.org@gmail.com.
If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Pages:
1
2

EI whistleblower suspended without pay; A Rant
Topic Started: Jul 22 2013, 01:54 AM (935 Views)
Darcie	Jul 22 2013, 01:54 AM Post #1
Skeptic Posts: 31,154 Group: Member Member #714 Joined: March 30, 2010	A federal fraud investigator has been suspended without pay, after she leaked documents showing that investigators had to cut people off their employment insurance benefits in order to meet quotas. Sylvie Therrien told CBC News that she and other investigators were given a target to recover nearly $500,000 in EI benefits every year. "It just was against my values, harassing claimants… trying to penalize them in order to save money for the government. We had quotas to meet every month," Therrien said. Therrien leaked documents to the media anonymously in the spring showing investigators were ordered to find $485,000 in savings each year by denying claims. The federal government denied that any quotas were in place, but the opposition hammered the Conservatives on the issue. "Telling investigators that they each had to find half a million in fraud presumes that there is widespread fraud, that they're all a bunch of cheaters and criminals," said NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair in the House of Commons in February. EI investigators were then called in for questioning themselves to find out who leaked the document. "Witchhunt terminology. It definitely describes what was happening," said Don Rogers, national president of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/07/20/bc-ei-whistleblower-suspended.html Shades of McCarthyism



Trotsky	Jul 22 2013, 02:01 AM Post #2
Big City Boy Posts: 38,319 Group: Member Member #79 Joined: September 8, 2005	I hate when honest people are tormented and damaged for being honest. I am SO sick of criminals being OUTRAGED and VINDICTIVE when they are exposed...and that extends to the presidency of the United States.



friendshipgal	Jul 22 2013, 05:18 AM Post #3
Guess everyone wants their own Trudashians Posts: 12,815 Group: Member Member #241 Joined: February 12, 2006	Awe come on, she's a gov't employee who let her sympathy for claimants override her judgement. There is no evidence to show that the denied claims were unjust, nor that the claimants were not committing fraud. It is her job to look into fraud by investigating and determining eligibility. 'Harassment' is subject too. If you think defrauding the gov't or the taxpayers is just fine and cheating is part of your values then don't complain when others do it too.



Darcie	Jul 22 2013, 05:49 AM Post #4
Skeptic Posts: 31,154 Group: Member Member #714 Joined: March 30, 2010	As with any 'quota' system the emphasis is on the negative. There is nothing to say that any of these claims were at all fraudulent. Very few people have the energy to battle the 'big daddy' government especially when unemployed. I imagine they bank on people not questioning. Sort of leaves a very bad taste in your mouth, prey on the vulnerable and take a government paid plane from your fishing lodge. That is only a small one. So far I have heard of more fraud being committed by elected and named to the senate people than the regular guy. Edited by Darcie, Jul 22 2013, 05:50 AM.



Dana	Jul 22 2013, 06:04 AM Post #5
WWS Hummingbird Guru & Wildlife photographer extrordinaire Posts: 13,054 Group: Member Member #830 Joined: March 23, 2011	This article includes previous headlines and numbers that make me question exactly how those UI numbers have been reduced and think that it may be due to these targeted reductions. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/whistleblower-suspended-leaking-employment-insurance-rejection-quotas-160726153.html



friendshipgal	Jul 22 2013, 08:25 AM Post #6
Guess everyone wants their own Trudashians Posts: 12,815 Group: Member Member #241 Joined: February 12, 2006	Darcie Jul 22 2013, 05:49 AM As with any 'quota' system the emphasis is on the negative. There is nothing to say that any of these claims were at all fraudulent. ............ So eliminating fraud and a rip of off the system is preying on the vulnerable. There is nothing to say the claims were not fraudulent, it's conjecture and speculation that they were not (fraudulent). Just the usual hype with no evidence at all. :MapleLeaf: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/02/25/pol-ei-targets-vs-quotas-finley.html "The department was able to stop half a billion dollars in ineligible payments last year," Finley replied, "but the employment insurance system still lost hundreds of millions of dollars due to fraud. If the Opposition stops us rooting out EI fraudsters, the only people who lose are Canadians who follow the rules." Edited by friendshipgal, Jul 22 2013, 08:49 AM.



Trotsky	Jul 22 2013, 11:29 AM Post #7
Big City Boy Posts: 38,319 Group: Member Member #79 Joined: September 8, 2005	Did we all hear how the Tea Partyites squealed like gutted pigs when their returns were audited by the IRS. FG, did you applaud the IRS's effort at uncovering ultra-conservative tax fraud? Edited by Trotsky, Jul 22 2013, 11:37 AM.



friendshipgal	Jul 22 2013, 12:15 PM Post #8
Guess everyone wants their own Trudashians Posts: 12,815 Group: Member Member #241 Joined: February 12, 2006	Trotsky Jul 22 2013, 11:29 AM Did we all hear how the Tea Partyites squealed like gutted pigs when their returns were audited by the IRS. FG, did you applaud the IRS's effort at uncovering ultra-conservative tax fraud? I don't know much about it, but if they did uncover fraud, then good for them. Did they find fraud? Is this what you are referring to http://www.policymic.com/articles/41145/tea-party-irs-agency-finally-admits-it-targeted-right-wing-groups-for-fraud Just to be clear on the OP, nowhere did she or the article say they were cutting benefits to legitimate claimants, I don't believe there was even an implication that such was happening. Edited by friendshipgal, Jul 22 2013, 12:17 PM.



Bitsy	Jul 22 2013, 12:33 PM Post #9
Veteran Member Posts: 31,383 Group: Member Member #267 Joined: March 11, 2006	I doubt that governments are any different than private insurance companies in their search for ways to minimize costs; goals, quotas, bonuses, I think all employees know what their role is and what is expected of them to achieve this end. Quote: Health insurers looking to cut costs have taken to canceling retroactively, or rescinding, the policies of people whose conditions have become expensive to treat. Some insurance companies have even offered bonuses to employees who meet "cancellation goals." Rescission targets patients in the midst of treatment when they are at their most vulnerable-even cancer patients in the midst of chemotherapy have been targeted. http://www.allenandallen.com/insurance_companies_deny.html#sthash.sRztgrkF.dpuf



Delphi51	Jul 22 2013, 12:41 PM Post #10
Member title Posts: 13,967 Group: Administration Member #441 Joined: October 10, 2006	American friends may not know how widespread employment insurance is misused on Canada's east coast. For generations people have been fishing for a few weeks in the summer and living on EI for the rest of the year without ever trying to find year round employment. Others do a couple of months of winter work in forestry and go on the dole in the summer. Or so say people from there and news investigations over the years inform us. Our next door neighbours are from there - they came to Alberta for full time employment. Many more are needed. A small per centage of the people cannot resist EI's addictive attraction. I do blame the successive governments that destroyed the economy of a great people by offering them an annual 9 month vacation with pay deal. I don't like quotas either but something should be done. Edited by Delphi51, Jul 22 2013, 01:27 PM.



goldengal	Jul 22 2013, 01:02 PM Post #11
Mistress, House of Dogs Posts: 11,674 Group: Member Member #715 Joined: March 31, 2010	We had a friend who actually boarded with us for 8 years in the 60s/70s. In '86 he moved to the lake to live and commenced working for a company that was into lawn care so he was employed May thru the end of October. They also plowed snow in the winter when there was snow. The owner of the company paid them higher than normal wages for the summer employment ensuring they got the highest rate of employment insurance and then the summer payment covered any call ups to plow snow. He did that until last year so 26 years of employment insurance 6 months of the year ain't bad. I know we all pay into it, but that is over kill in my reasoning. Take care, Pat



Darcie	Jul 22 2013, 01:51 PM Post #12
Skeptic Posts: 31,154 Group: Member Member #714 Joined: March 30, 2010	I remember applying for the EI when I had my baby. Well they said I committed fraud because she was born premature and demanded some money back. Got a friend who was a lawyer to tackle them, it was hilarious that they would not accept that a baby could be born prematurely. Did get my extra money and an apology which he demanded. Only time I ever had EI (3 months maternity leave) I was one of the 'so called frauds'.



FuzzyO	Jul 22 2013, 01:55 PM Post #13
Posts: 16,968 Group: Administration Member #710 Joined: March 30, 2010	I thought that seasonally employed workers no longer get EI.



goldengal	Jul 22 2013, 02:33 PM Post #14
Mistress, House of Dogs Posts: 11,674 Group: Member Member #715 Joined: March 31, 2010	If it has changed, it likely was within the pasty year, but not sure. Take care, Pat



wildie	Jul 22 2013, 02:33 PM Post #15
Veteran Member Posts: 12,173 Group: Member Member #442 Joined: October 11, 2006	I, and my employers, paid into the EI fund for 40 years and never ever collected a cent of pogey! Guess I was lucky! Come to think of it, my wife never made a claim either.



1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)


Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Rants, Bouquets, Consumer Issues · Next Topic »

Pages:
1
2