Citizenship and Immigration committee  Okay, thank you. Thank you, Chair.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you, Chair. Welcome to our guests, and thank you for helping us with this amendment. My first question is directed to Mr. MacDonald. If this amendment passes, would there be any penalty for provinces that chose not to introduce a minimum wait period?

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you. Mr. de Vlieger, by prohibiting refugee claimants who are awaiting a decision from receiving social assistance during a minimum period of residence, is Canada failing to meet its obligations as a signatory to the international agreements on refugee protection?

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Okay, so there's nothing in this that detracts from that.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you. To you again, sir, the rationale put forward by the federal government for potentially restricting refugee claimants' access to social assistance is twofold: cost savings, and reducing the attractiveness of Canada as a place to make fraudulent refugee claims. Could you comment or elaborate on those two issues?

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Have the federal and/or provincial governments considered the possibility, for example, that if one province implements a residency period requirement, refugee claimants might move to other provinces that have no such requirement? Has that been a consideration?

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Are you aware of any other groups, other than refugee claimants, who are eligible for social assistance and could be subject to a waiting period should division 5 of C-43 be enacted?