Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and our study on the federal contribution to reducing poverty in Canada, we'll commence with our twenty-sixth meeting.
I'd like to welcome all our guests today.
We want to thank you very much taking the time out of your busy schedules to be here with us. This is an issue that the committee has been looking at over the last number of months in Ottawa. We've been out on the road for the last couple of days. We were in Halifax yesterday, we are in Moncton today, and we will be in Montreal tomorrow. We're hoping that we can hear what's happening on the ground and can take back some of your suggestions and ideas to look at incorporating into a report.
Once again, we want to thank you very much for being here. You can each take five minutes to go through your presentation. I have a timer. If you're close to the time, don't worry. It will go off just to let you know that five minutes has gone by, but don't stop your remarks. Finish up what you're saying. Then we'll then have a couple of rounds of questioning from the members of Parliament. Those rounds will last seven minutes and five minutes.
There are headsets here if you need translation, either English to French or French to English. The last bit of housekeeping is that you don't need to turn the mikes on and off when you've been identified. The ladies and gentlemen behind us here will get those mikes on.
I will start with Ms. Phyllis Mockler-Caissie, project manager with the Poverty Reduction Initiative.
Welcome. Maybe you can tell us a bit about yourself, Ms. Mockler-Caissie, and then we'll have your remarks. Once again, thank you for being here.