Canada: Auditor general releases audits showing COVID-19 pandemic benefits overpayments, vaccine dose waste – December 6, 2022

Canada's auditor general Karen Hogan speaks with reporters on Parliament Hill following the tabling of her two new reports on the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first audit focuses on the procurement and access to COVID-19 vaccines, while the second examines a number of specific COVID-19 benefits including the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) for employers. While Hogan's office found that the organizations involved were successful in securing vaccines and quickly distributing them to provinces and territories, the Public Health Agency of Canada’s efforts to minimize wastage were unsuccessful. The government spent approximately $5 billion for 169 million vaccine doses by May 2022. More than 13 million doses expired before they could be donated. The auditor general also concludes overpayments of $4.6 billion in benefits were made to ineligible individuals, and that at least $27.4 billion of payments to individuals and employers should be investigated further.