Thank you, Chair.
Hello, Mrs. Dallaire, Ms. Farha and Mr. Lynk.
Ms. Farha, you stated that poverty in general is a systemic problem. We are in the midst of an economic crisis, which is hitting some areas harder than others. The optimists believe that it will last a few years; the realists believe it will last longer. We hope that the realists are wrong. We know what this crisis will do in terms of poverty.
We live in a society, in an economic system, that experienced a crisis in the 1930’s and that recovered after WWII. It is basically a capitalist system, where maximum profit is the religion. Those who manage to make a lot of money in this society are supposed to have the good will to spread it around among citizens. I am getting to the issue of state intervention. In any case, the state does intervene.
Canada’s oil companies are entitled to tax credits. We all agree that they are not the poorest in the family. As for the employment insurance fund, in the past ten years, over $57 million has been withdrawn and used for other purposes, rather than being paid to workers entitled to those monies in difficult times. Depriving workers of that money does not help in any way to eliminate poverty; it impoverishes them.
The state intervenes in other ways. Just think of the $3 billion discretionary fund that was just approved in the House of Commons by the Liberals and the Conservatives as part of the last budget. In English it has been called a slush fund—I do not know the exact French translation, but you know what I mean—and there is no primary accountability. You ask and you are given, that is all.
According to the statistics provided by Mr. Lynk, 17% of children live in poverty. I assume that is across Canada. Our children represent the future of this country. We do not talk about it a great deal, but we are aware that that is the reality.
Even if you work in a specific area you can contribute an answer. I will ask the question of our three witnesses: are there concrete and tangible solutions? There are 208 countries in the world and in a few weeks there will be 209. Can we suggest potential solutions to this government to which we all belong as legislators? Are there measures that, when we think about it, are obvious and have been proven to move things forward?
That is my question.