Thank you, Chair.
I wish to indicate that I will split my time with my colleague, Mr. Dreeshen.
I'll have to formulate my question quickly due to time constraints.
In order to prevent abuse of the social assistance that Canada so generously provides, could you indicate what criteria we impose on people who come into this country as temporary residents when they apply, whether they are temporary foreign workers, international students, or visitors? Prevention generally is a pretty effective tool in preventing abuse.
Also, perhaps you could share with the committee whether or not there have been incidents in which foreign nationals on visitor visas have taken advantage of social assistance. We can only know this by the time we catch them, but perhaps you can give us your best estimate of what the abuses are.