Beautiful Halifax, Megan.
This is the first travel we've done on this committee, just to set the context. We started this study over a year ago and spent some time defining poverty and looking at market basket measures and LICO, and then we looked at what other countries have done. Some have had some good success. We also looked at the provinces who have had anti-poverty strategies in place for some time, notably Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, and now Ontario, and most recently, of course, Nova Scotia, which has introduced an anti-poverty strategy, as I think Rene mentioned. So we've done that.
We didn't have any meetings from June until about February, because of the election and all of the fun and games in Parliament after the election and just before Christmas. We've picked it back up and decided to travel. This is the first meeting we're having here in Halifax.
I appreciate that you've come out. I know that you've spoken before. I know Claudia has spoken to a Senate committee on anti-poverty. She's appeared before another Senate committee with Catherine Callbeck, I think. I've certainly been to lots of forums where I've heard a combination of you speaking on this issue. So I know there is a certain sense of fatigue from people who have been dealing with this for a long time.
But I'm very pleased, Claudia, to hear you say that it's good to talk about this. I think it is. I think I can say for this committee that there is a serious intent that we can produce a report that we would be proud of and that would say, these are the ways Canada can reduce poverty over the next few years--and then of course it's up to political will. But it's important that we put a stake in the ground, and that's what we're trying to do.
I referenced the anti-poverty strategy that was unveiled by the provincial government just in the last little while. I wonder if any of you have had a chance to have a look at it. Obviously it hasn't had a chance to work its way through in any way, but I wonder if any of you could give me your thoughts as to whether it's heading in the right direction, and if it is, what's good about it, and if it's not, what is not good about it.