Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My first question is for the deputy minister.
In Winnipeg, we had an extremely troubling international news story come out of our city yesterday. It was that trench fever, a rare disease that afflicted World War I soldiers, of which only four cases have been known to occur in Canada since the 1990s, has appeared four times in the past two months in Winnipeg. This is an illness that is known to have infected people in crowded refugee camps during war time.
Dr. Carl Boodman, a Winnipeg doctor, has treated four patients in the last two months, all of whom had lived in shelters. We know this disease is serious, and we also know this disease is potentially fatal in many cases. The Canadian Medical Association Journal has said that this disease is a result of poverty. When I look at the rapid housing initiative, while any sort of monies are welcome, they are completely and utterly insufficient.
Currently, I have members of my community in hospital during a global pandemic with poverty-caused illnesses that haven't been seen in this country in nearly 100 years. The Prime Minister indicated he is not interested in a guaranteed income.
Is your department still exploring that option to ensure that people can live with dignity and human rights in this country?