Human Resources committee  If I understand it correctly, you would end up providing sponsored immigrants with income-tested benefits on a prorated basis, in the same way that you would—

Human Resources committee  —non-sponsored immigrants. You may end up levelling the playing field in terms of persons, but from the financial side, it's not something we've assessed from a departmental perspective. I'm not quite sure.... It comes back to the financial obligation of the sponsor as well.

Human Resources committee  That's correct.

Human Resources committee  Just to clarify, the existing provision would be something going forward. Anyone who was previously entitled—in other words, if somebody became a Canadian citizen during the length of their sponsorship and was put into pay, for example—and did receive benefits for this period of

Human Resources committee  Citizenship has absolutely no bearing on the provision of benefits under the Old Age Security Act specifically. Here we're dealing with provisions, so I'm going to give you an example. Let's say someone who is a Canadian citizen happens to move to China. We don't have a social s

Human Resources committee  Yes. From this point going forward, for example, if somebody were to become a Canadian citizen, then just like permanent residents, they would not be entitled to receive prorated GIS benefits if they would have been eligible for them under a social security agreement.

Human Resources committee  I don't think there's an intent to take away benefits as such. What exists right now in the current legislation is that you have different classes of people treated differently. In other words, you could have a situation in which there would be no eligibility for a permanent resi

Human Resources committee  The only thing I would add to that is that the financial obligation of the sponsor is in play. If the financial obligation of the sponsor is in play, and a person only through social security agreements would be entitled to a prorated income-tested benefit--I'm preaching to the c

Human Resources committee  No, it would be grandfathered, so--

Human Resources committee  No.

Human Resources committee  If there's a sponsorship breakdown, or if the sponsor happens to be incarcerated, or if the sponsor I think goes--which one did I say first?--bankrupt or there's incapacity, for example, then there would be entitlement to prorated GIS benefits for the sponsored immigrant.

Human Resources committee  From the perspective of what was discussed originally, there's a notion that benefits under the Old Age Security Act and the Canada Pension Plan are not subject to nationality restrictions. In other words, you should not advantage or disadvantage someone simply because they happe

Human Resources committee  I'm not sure I absolutely understand that. Can you please repeat it? I apologize.

Human Resources committee  It's not an overpayment situation. Clause 4 is an overpayment situation.

Human Resources committee  Yes.