—which led to unprecedented levels of fraud and abuse with regard to the residency requirement, it became hard to question the determination of people to not be here for three years when in fact they claimed to be here for three years, because we had never required them to declare their intent to be here. We think it is reasonable to ask citizens who are expected to reside in Canada for four years to simply declare their intention to reside.
That intention had never been made clear before and unfortunately some permanent residents took residency, physical presence in Canada, to be optional. We don't want it to be optional. That was a Liberal policy of neglect which we want to do away with and replace with a clear rule. If you want to be a Canadian citizen, you have to live here for four years under this new bill.