Thank you, Madam Chair.
Ms. Hogan, I need further clarification on some comments you made in your opening remarks, particularly with regard to the Canada emergency wage subsidy.
I know it was important for Finance Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency to get the help out quickly to these businesses throughout our country. It was vital, absolutely. However, you indicated some concerns, particularly with the subsidy applications and the way businesses were filling out these application forms to get their funds. You said, “To prioritize issuing payments, the Canada Revenue Agency chose to forego certain controls” that could have been used “to validate the reasonableness of subsidy applications.” Then you gave an example—that they decided not to ask for social insurance numbers—and you say that “this information could have helped prevent the doubling-up of applications for financial support.”
My question is this: Why did they choose to not ask for social insurance numbers? What did they use, then, to prevent the doubling up of applications for financial support?