Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), we are continuing our study of the federal contribution to reducing poverty in Canada.
I want to take a second to welcome our guests here today. I want to thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here to talk to us about what's happening in your community, what you've seen that's worked, and what you think the federal government could do a little better on to help what you ladies and gentlemen do on the front lines, which is take care of our most vulnerable.
We have been travelling east and west, but it was felt by the committee members that we should go a little bit farther north. Typically, when we did our employability study a couple of years ago, we did not come up north; we are doing that now, and I want to thank you for the hospitality we've received so far. Once again, I want to thank all of you for being here first thing this morning.
I'm not going to take any more time talking. We're going to go to opening statements.
Julie Ménard, we're going to let you start. You'll have seven minutes. I'll try to flag you when you get close to seven minutes; I won't cut you off, but if you could try to keep your comments to seven minutes, that would be great. In the time remaining, we'll go around the room to the MPs, who will ask questions or perhaps clarify some of the things you have talked about.
I'm going to welcome Julie Ménard from the Food Bank Society of Whitehorse.
Thank you for being here. The floor is yours. You have seven minutes.