The fact of the matter is that this is not a crisis; this is a challenge that many countries face, including Canada. We remain committed, as a government, to making sure that we apply Canadian laws and meet our international obligations. The opposition feels that we have to choose one or the other, but we feel that we can do both, and we have done both.
Second, we remain committed, as a country and as a government, to making sure that we don't turn back people who are seeking protection. We don't turn them back to persecution, torture, and death, because we have signed international conventions to make sure we don't do that. When we have responded as a country and as communities to provide protection to those folks, we have seen the contributions that they've been able to make as new citizens. We also, as part of Canadian law, make sure that those who are not in need of protection are also removed, that protection is only accorded to those who can prove their need for refugee protection.
I commend the mayor of Chatham and other municipal leaders for stepping up to assist these people, while they wait for their hearings, to be able to support themselves. The majority of asylum seekers want to work while they wait for their hearings, because they and we don't want folks to be a burden or to put pressures on provincial social programs.