Thanks, Mr. Chair.
I'm not surprised by this amendment because it's become obvious.... I was in the House earlier today and they were talking about how they need to extend sittings because Conservatives get in the way by opposing the government. This isn't opposing anything. This is actually a discussion. We'd like to have a discussion in the House about what I think are fairly profound statements by the minister. We've tried to have him come here. That's no good. We don't like that because I still don't know why. My colleague has been instructed not to let the minister come here. We don't want to talk about this in the House.
My colleague, Ms. Ferreri, pointed out, and I think quite accurately, this is the challenge of our time. This is the crisis of a generation. We're talking about the number of homeless in this country being at record highs. The crisis exists at all points on the spectrum of the housing continuum. I appreciate that the parliamentary secretary to the minister is obviously eager to make sure we don't talk too much in the House about their record on the file, but perhaps a discussion about what the minister said in the House would reveal some new ideas for this government to propose in terms of working with the municipalities and the provinces to address specifically the homelessness situation and the growing number of Canadians who are unhoused and the growing number of people who are literally dying in the streets. The number of homeless people in Toronto who don't survive the streets is growing.
I just find it fundamentally flooring that the Liberals don't want to have a discussion about ideas, about proposed solutions. As a House of Commons, as an elected body where the issues of the day of this country are supposed to be discussed and debated—that is the purpose of the place or so I thought—why wouldn't they want to have those discussions? It smacks of deflection and cover-up, and frankly I'd be embarrassed if I were in his shoes.