Mr. Speaker, there is nothing secretive about our intent to prevent fraud and the abuse of taxpayers' money.
Part of the mandate of Service Canada's integrity services branch is to enforce the Employment Insurance Act and its regulations.
A number of provisions in the act refer to administrative penalties and restitutions. These provisions can be found under sections 38, 39, 65.1, 135, 136, 137 and 141.
The purpose of EI is to support those who have lost their job through no fault of their own.
Last year, Service Canada intercepted and stopped nearly half a billion dollars in ineligible payments. Public servants have a fundamental role to play in service to Canadians and their communities and in the public interest, in accordance with the law.
They have a responsibility to maintain the integrity of the programs and uphold the public trust. In all activities related to their professional duties, public servants must adhere to the values and ethics code of the public service.
We have an integrity function built into the system. Service Canada's integrity services branch is responsible for investigating client error, fraud and abuse. It ensures that clients receive the right benefits, at the right time, for the right purpose.
We have mechanisms to detect overpayments and stop any further incorrect payments. In short, when we find errors or abuses in the system, we put a stop to them, and less money is erroneously paid out.
As the member well knows, this is the money that has been entrusted to the government by workers and employers for the administration of the employment insurance system. It is our responsibility to ensure it is used correctly. The techniques we use to detect anomalies remain protected government information. We take any breach of information very seriously, and we act to prevent it from recurring.
Service Canada has a responsibility to find and stop inappropriate claims so that Canadians who have paid into the system can access these benefits when they need them.