As for medical care, this is one area I was truly grateful when I was unemployed: generally speaking, the employed and unemployed Canadians, can visit the doctor and get treatment in Canada.

You do need to have health card which you cannot apply unless you show proof of permanent address in Canada, have a social insurance number (which requires proof of residency/citizenship), etc.

What people are forgetting, is that there is a large group of unemployed (the majority probably), who still pay taxes to the govn't annually, as they should like everyone else.

I had no guilt to use any of the government services: I was paying taxes faithfully to the authorities. My taxes provide services....should I ever need to use them which I did need them.