Perhaps I could just add to what I've said already. What we're really missing is acknowledgement of the interdependence of us all in reducing poverty, and we need to get on with that.
So will $1,200 given to families deal with child care issues? Of course not.
If you look at what's happening in Nova Scotia, and particularly in Halifax, there's a national company coming in now and buying up all the apartment buildings. Where will poor people live when those rents go up? Because they're going up. It's happening. It's a fact. The private sector is not developing the housing. We're not targeted.
We don't work together in our inner city communities. There is no big plan. The community services department tells us specifically that what we're advocating for will save the city money, will save justice money, and will save somebody else money, but that, you know, if they put money into a project, there's no advantage to their department.
We need people to come together. Our premier won't meet with us to talk about this stuff. He refers us to community services. We need incentives from the federal government--their actions and their commitments and their engagement and participation--to have a poverty reduction strategy. We can do it. We have the know-how. The political will is not there.