Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Madam Wilson, for your testimony.
We heard from other food banks earlier this week. It's a heartbreaking story.
I'm part of the national capital region. I'm in the Pontiac, just on the other side of the river. I have over 10 organizations trying to ensure food security at a time of crisis. I know that it has been very hard for people in my riding. I have among the poorest what we call “MRCs”—groupements of municipalities—in the whole Quebec region.
Times are hard with the inflation crisis. I was talking to colleagues in the U.K. who are working in charities. They are experiencing inflation of above 10% in the U.K. Prices for housing were already really high. Things are really hard.
We have tried to make life more affordable for Canadians.
Hopefully, the grocery benefit that we have helps some of the most vulnerable. We now have the dental benefit. We know that for children especially, going to the dentist is not affordable for many, and hopefully it helps with that. Students, too, are among the most vulnerable. I don't know about Ottawa, but I suspect that a lot of students are showing up at your door. We help them by eliminating interest charges....
For small businesses, we are lowering credit card fees as well. On predatory lending, some families resort to some lending...and then they're charged astronomical amounts of interest that they can't repay, keeping them in poverty. We have the workers benefit now at $2,400, benefiting 4.2 million. Child care also makes life more affordable. We have indexed to inflation a lot of the benefits.
Overall, we have lifted 2.7 million Canadians out of poverty since 2015. By the way, for all measures except one, the Conservatives voted no, so when they say they care about the situation of poverty in Canada, I just don't believe it at all.
Additionally, what we've done in the budget is to help with the food banks directly. We have a $50-million surplus food rescue program and a $200-million emergency food security fund. Can you tell us how these two programs help you?