Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Judy Questions the Government on Homelessness

Hon. Judy Sgro (York West, Lib.):

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister was part of the Harris government in Ontario that wanted to make homelessness a crime and called it “tough love”. That “tough love” was applied to his last federal budget, which shut out the homeless, aboriginals, children and seniors living in poverty. However, he paid his good friend MacPhie $122,000 to craft that “tough love” budget speech.

Why does the government's anti-poverty plan help just one group: old, tired Mike Harris cronies who were thrown out of Queen's Park?

Hon. Jim Flaherty (Minister of Finance, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, in the last budget, as I am sure the hon. member will recall, we created and funded the Canadian Mental Health Commission, which is now headed by Mr. Kirby. This is a very important body that will help address important issues in Canada, including homelessness, which, as members know, relates, to a significant degree, to mental illness and mental challenges faced by people living on the streets.

These are important measures that we have taken.

We have also gone forward with the working income tax benefit to help low income Canadians who are capable of working to get to work. That is something the member's party looked at but—

The Speaker:

The hon. member for York West.

Hon. Judy Sgro (York West, Lib.):

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister's history speaks for itself no matter what he tries to say.

Poverty is a national problem. The Conservatives have refused to take leadership in the fight against poverty, preferring a laissez-faire, I do not care attitude.

The Liberal Party has a plan. Quebec and Newfoundland have plans in place and Ontario will implement one this year.

Do the Conservatives have a plan to fight poverty, or is it the minister's typical old plan, which is to cut programs for the poor, jail the homeless, slash child care and swipe another $5 billion from the aboriginal community?