Retired Canadian Forces Sgt. Tara Bertram is locked in a dispute with the Department of National Defence after the agency violated her privacy by disclosing her banking information to another military member and then erroneously depositing a payment intended for that individual into her account. DND is now demanding that Bertram repay the $21,794.89 it sent by mistake, warning that interest charges may apply if repayment is delayed.
Error and Repercussions
The ordeal began in the summer of 2025 when Bertram, a combat veteran who served in the army in Afghanistan before transferring to the air force, was leaving the Canadian Forces on a medical disability due to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. She received a flurry of payments from the Canadian Forces, including a final paycheque, unused leave compensation, back pay, severance pay, long-term disability payments, and disability benefits from Veterans Affairs.
In January 2026, Bertram received a notice from DND stating that she had received severance payments of $17,187.24 in August and $2,872.73 in December that were meant for another military member. DND demanded the return of the money. Bertram, who resides in New Brunswick, said she did not notice the extra payments. “I didn’t pick up on the extra payment,” she said. “My mental health is so bad I don’t manage the finances. My spouse does that and they wouldn’t have known.”
Administrative Error Acknowledged
When Bertram pressed for details, DND admitted to an “administrative error,” claiming the money was intended for another individual with a similar last name. However, Bertram, 44, found this explanation implausible. In a Jan. 7, 2026 letter to DND, she noted that pay is processed using an individual’s military service number, not their last name. “This error makes no sense to me, furthermore this error was not made just once, it was made twice,” she wrote to a DND benefits specialist. “Also that money is long gone, so there is no chance of me just writing a cheque for over $20,000.”
Bertram explained that the funds had already been used to cover expenses and her mortgage. After she continued to question how the error occurred, DND acknowledged that it had mistakenly provided her personal banking information to another military member. That information was then input into the benefits system, resulting in Bertram receiving the two payments intended for the other individual, according to DND records.
Privacy Breach and Ongoing Battle
Department officials admitted in documents that they could not determine how Bertram’s private banking information was disclosed to another soldier without her permission. Bertram has provided the DND records to the Ottawa Citizen. She is now battling the department over the privacy violation and the repayment demand, arguing that the error was not her fault and that she should not be held liable for DND’s mistake.
