Mr. Speaker, I listened attentively to the speech by my colleague from Mississauga South which is, I believe, a very industrial riding. His concern for poverty is honourable. Unfortunately, it is clear that his party has obviously not listened to him to date.
I want to talk about poverty. On numerous occasions, the Bloc Québécois has raised the issue of pensioners. Our colleague, representing the interests of pensioners, had asked this government to simply refund the amounts they were owed. He was not asking for an increase. He was asking that they get what they were owed. We are still waiting for this to happen.
When we talk about poverty, we are also talking about the unemployed and employment insurance. To this end, merchants in various regions are experiencing losses and shortfalls. There are losses of $66 million per year as a result of cuts to employment insurance. For example, a family does not have enough money for rent and must go into debt until the next pay period. The family income earner works just enough to repay the debt. That is poverty. That is poverty for a family. That is poverty for the children. That is poverty for those family members.
I have just returned from visiting Quebec's extreme north. Under an agreement, this government committed to building houses and sending them up there through Quebec. In the past four years, most of these villages have not received a single house. Sometimes, up to 14 people live in a single-family home. This is called promiscuity. And tuberculosis, among others, results. How much will it cost the government to treat these people later?
Since 1993, each throne speech has mentioned resolving the problem faced by aboriginals, the Inuit and the first nations. These are the conditions in which they live today. As a result, I am asking my colleague from Mississauga South just how much power he has to get his government to include this in its budget.