Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Minister, welcome to the committee.
Minister, when I go back to my community and speak to my constituents, some of them raise concerns about the future of the programs that you've talked about and that our committee members have highlighted today, such as the school nutrition program and $10-a-day day care. We could even extend that to other things this committee has dealt with, like the Canada disability benefit. The housing accelerator fund was in front of us too.
The Leader of the Opposition has bragged that as part of his “make Canada great again” agenda, he's going to cut social programs. I don't have a crystal ball that tells me what those programs would be, but some of those I just referenced will likely be on the chopping block. He's been very evasive when pressed in the House about how he's going to cut the budget and balance the books, as he's bragged about for the last year. I think part of his “make Canada great again” agenda is to cut social programs.
Can you highlight, maybe in a very general way, what your constituents are saying about those programs, how they've helped from an affordability perspective and how they've helped lift people out of poverty? I think you tried to answer some of those questions when pressed by the opposition, but you weren't given the opportunity, so I'll give you that opportunity now.