Thank you for that additional information.
As I was saying, those of us who have lived in Canada for some time or people who have grown up in Canada see a marked difference in the level of inequality today that didn't exist years back. Certainly to go out on the streets of any major city in Canada and see the number of homeless people, especially young homeless people, is quite disturbing.
The National Council of Welfare is a body dedicated to providing research and information not only on poverty but on anti-poverty strategies. To fold that requirement into the general responsibilities of HRSDC is a little rich at a time when the government is cutting back. Through this budget they've announced 19,200 jobs overall added to several more thousand jobs that will be cut that had previously been announced.
Part of the problem is—I raise this for Mr. Jean's benefit—that of course the Parliamentary Budget Officer and others have raised concerns that we can't even find out where many of these cuts are taking place because we can't get access to the information.
To that point, will HRSDC have the resources to be able to take on this added function when we know there were and are dedicated staff focused on the issue of poverty, doing research, focused on strategies? I think this is a big loss to the people of Canada. And to say it's a bureaucratic duplication, I don't buy that. I think it's a huge step backwards at a time when we need this organization more than ever.
We're opposed to it.