Paying civil servants comes first, recouping funds will follow, says minister
OTTAWA — The minister responsible for the federal government’s troubled payroll system says she’s more concerned about paying employees who haven’t received what they’re owed than she is about recouping money that’s been overpaid.
And Public Services and Procurement Minister Judy Foote suggests those who have been paid too much put the extra money aside until a repayment schedule can be worked out.
Foote’s comments came Tuesday after the CBC reported the government has overpaid more than $68-million and has so far reached agreements to recover only about one third of the money.
The minister suggested the exact amount owed to the government isn’t known, because bureaucrats have been focused on fixing the system so tens of thousands of employees who haven’t received proper paycheques get the money they’ve earned.