Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.
In committee, we heard from representatives of the different sectors affected by this bill, including those that manage employment insurance and old age security benefits. We asked them what happens in the event of an error. For example, when two people have the same name, some of the identifying information on their passports is the same. Identity mix-ups happen all too often.
Does my colleague feel reassured that those types of errors will be avoided?
Personally, I did not feel reassured when the program director said that people could lose their EI benefits if they are confused with someone else and thought to have been in the United States when they were not. In such cases, a complaint has to be filed with the Canada Border Services Agency. However, the CBSA does not have an oversight mechanism for such activities as other national security agencies do.
Is my colleague worried about that?
Does he think that some honest citizens who may not even have travelled to the United States could lose their social benefits because of this type of error?