Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I don't think we should support this motion. I do acknowledge that persons with disabilities need government support and help, and those issues need to be discussed. But the priority for the committee should be the poverty study, and I think if we get sidetracked by other issues, then we'll get nothing accomplished. I've seen this happen on other committees where the committee goes in two different directions at once and at the end of the day nothing gets done. I don't think that's to the benefit of anybody.
So I suggest we focus on the poverty study after we finish the employability study. What I could also suggest, Mr. Chair, is that part of the poverty study could incorporate concerns of persons with disabilities, because I think one of the big problems I've seen for persons with disabilities in Canada relates to the fact that, in my view, there aren't enough income supports for those people with disabilities, such as mental disabilities. If you look at the level of support that is provided to persons with severe mental disabilities, it's frankly quite shocking how little support they do get from government. I think that could be incorporated into a study on poverty. So I suggest that we do that instead. Incorporate into our study on poverty issues persons with disabilities, especially persons with mental disabilities, who often cannot get gainful employment and who often actually have significant costs associated with their care. Not only do they not have gainful employment or a way to make money to support themselves, but they also often have huge costs associated with their daily care and their daily support.
I suggest we incorporate that into the poverty study, as opposed to embarking on a completely separate study that I think will just get us sidetracked and will ultimately mean that we won't likely get either study done, either on poverty or on persons with disabilities. So I suggest we do that.