From pauls@gate.maloca.com Sat Feb 24 09:28:56 1996 Xref: elastic can.general:35827 can.politics:47926 ont.general:29499 Path: elastic!exorcist!lethe!gts!whome!infoshare!istar.net!news1.ottawa.istar.net!fonorola!news.ottawa.istar.net!maloca.com!not-for-mail From: pauls@gate.maloca.com (PAUL KOBYLSKI) Newsgroups: can.general,can.politics,bc.general,ont.general Subject: Re: 'Refugees' sue federal government (aka: Canadians).... Followup-To: can.general,can.politics,bc.general,ont.general Date: 19 Feb 1996 13:05:17 -0500 Organization: Maloca BBS, Toronto, Canada Lines: 54 Message-ID: <4gae4t$gcl@gate.maloca.com> References: NNTP-Posting-Host: localhost.maloca.com X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] 'PILLAGED' WELFARE CASH FUNDS WAR LIBERALS SAY by Leslie Papp, Toronto Star Mon. Oct. 25, 1993 Organized criminals are engaged in a "systematic pillaging" of Ontario's welfare system to fund Somali warlords, provincial Liberals say, citing a confidential federal report. Liberal Leader Lyn McLeod refused to release the document yesterday, saying it could jeopardize investigations. But she read selected passages to the Legislature. She said key Somali organizers are compelling other Somalis to move to Canada to defraud the welfare system. "This group is importing refugees to systematically pillage our vulnerable and exposed social-welfare systems in an attempt to raise funds to support clan interests in the struggle for power in Somalia," McLeod said, reading from the report. She said the January document outlines investigations into cases in which refugees have applied for welfare under up to 20 names. A single individual, using multiple names, can easily collect $100,000 yearly and could get up to $300,000, McLeod said. McLeod said, "it is suspected that the majority of Somali refugee claimants are involved in such fraud." "The report states that the fraud is over one hundred million dollars annually, mostly committed by Somalis." "We believe the report is credible," she said, adding the information she released all relates to Ontario. "What we are experiencing is part of an international network designed to make money for the continued purchase of arms and munitions, and to support other clan interests." A Liberal source said the document was written by an immigration department intelligence officer but is separate from similar allegations raised by an immigration investigator in stories published last week. McLeod demanded action from the New Democratic government, noting welfare is a matter of provincal jurisdiction. Community and Social Services Minister Tony Silipo described the report as simply "a few bureaucrat's view of the world." The problem outlined in the document is being investigated but there's no way of knowing the extent of this fraud, he told reporters. "We have to make sure we get at whatever level of fraud there is in the system," Silipo said.