Madam Speaker, one of the things that happens in any society when we have a high level of poverty is that we have people who have a certain sense of desperation, other people who are malicious in what they do. However, with that sense of not having self-esteem that comes from that, we will find that a lot of young people get involved with drugs, alcohol and other substance abuses. Many commit minor offences. That is their way of pushing back at society. The only way to fight that is to give them reasons to remain in school. We have to give them an opportunity that they can turn to and understand that they are going to have a chance for a decent life.
In order to do that, we need the full participation of the municipal, provincial and federal levels of government. There has to be a strategic plan to create jobs, especially for young people.