I was really disappointed that the Prime Minister said recently that a guaranteed livable income is not a priority at this time even though we know that most Canadians are supportive of the idea of a guaranteed livable basic income. I think it is a very modest estimate that 3.5 million Canadians currently live below the poverty line.
I shared in the House today that in the last two months, four people living in shelters in Winnipeg have contracted trench fever, a rare, preventable disease of poverty often seen in refugee camps. This made international news. This is abhorrent.
Again, as I asked you the last time, particularly given the kind of money we spent on TMX, for example—which I think it was $17 billion—are you and the government open to supporting a guaranteed livable basic income, so that the millions of people who live below the poverty line, including many in the disabled community, could live with dignity and human rights?