Thank you.
First of all, as others have done, I want to thank you for coming to make your presentations.
I've had the privilege of working with a number of groups, definitely through the Boys and Girls Club. I'm always impressed with the work that comes out of the Suzuki Foundation and the faith groups that are absolutely instrumental in providing much needed support in communities right across...but specifically in my community of Newton—North Delta. There, I would say, whether it's the church, the mosque, the mandir, or the gurdwara, I'm really impressed with the work by the faith community to fill a gap that is ever growing. It's no surprise to anybody. All of us know that the gap between the rich and the poor is growing in Canada.
As I sat here and listened to all of your presentations, something that struck me was that when you hold charitable status—and you may be a food bank, an evangelical organization, or the Boys and Girls Club—you're dealing with a lot of things that are happening in our communities that are there because of public policy, and the best way to address those is through public policy.
Yet I heard that there is some feeling of trepidation about engaging in public policy or advocacy. I see advocacy as engaging in a way to effect changes in public policy. If that were to happen or if you're feeling that, how is that going to impact the work you do right now? Will you then become just a place where people go for a meal, and will you then not be able to do the kind of work you need to do to have a national poverty reduction plan, let's say, which we know is very much needed?
I want to know how those kinds of rumours or things we hear out there about cuts to some charitable advocacy work could impact the work you do right now.