Mr. Speaker, on March 25 the minister responsible for homelessness promised that she would have the homelessness problem solved within 30 days.
By tomorrow, when she makes her announcement, it will have been 267 days. She will announce some money for the homeless without the participation of the provinces and the municipalities. She will also make the announcement outside parliament, where MPs cannot scrutinize her work, and on the quietest news day of the week. I guess she is hoping that no one will be listening.
Since March the minister has spent over $1 million to hire 18 new staff members. According to access to information documents, she also spent $54,000 redecorating her office. She has spent $17,000 flying to China, Mexico and jetting herself around the country. She has spent $30,000 on hotel rooms and over $16,000 on food and drink for herself. Her trip to China alone cost over $19,000.
I do not know what the minister will announce tomorrow, but I sure hope that she will treat Canada's homeless at least as well as she has treated herself this year.