Mr. Speaker, one of the saddest points in the debate tonight for me was when the minister said that we have to look at the fiscal situation of the country when we are cutting this program.
We judge a government by how it deals with the most vulnerable in the country, and why not? What is more important for our government to do, because if not the government, who else? The government should be dealing with those who are frozen in life by the trauma of residential schools, those who cannot continue in life because they have not healed enough to complete their education and therefore cannot raise their families, those who are on the verge of entering the dark world of crime, those on the precipice of falling into the crippling pain of substance abuse, and those who are on the edge of ending their own lives.
Every single member in the House tonight has spoken about this great work for the vulnerable of this country. The most vulnerable should be the highest priority of the government, but the sad thing tonight is that they have been shown to be the lowest priority. This is a terribly bad error in judgment. It is a very sad day for the vulnerable people of this country, and I hope the member will work to rectify that situation.