Thank you, Minister, for your presence here today, and my thanks to the departmental officials.
Thank you for your excellent work thus far, for the many initiatives you've undertaken. I've heard from constituents in my own riding that what you've done has helped middle-class families. Some of this you've mentioned this morning. Thank you for all of your excellent work thus far.
I'm a proud Hamiltonian, and I'm proud of my city for a number of reasons. With respect to the study we have before us today, I want to note the passion, the commitment, and the dedication of a number of stakeholders in my community in alleviating poverty and helping the poor. I've met with a number of groups, most recently the Hamilton poverty reduction round table, and I'm impressed with their level of experience, commitment, and dedication. We have great resources in our own communities. How does the government plan to engage those stakeholders in the development of a poverty reduction strategy? There are great resources in our communities, and I don't want them to be missed.