Mr. Speaker, on Monday, January 30, an organization known as Le Fablier, une histoire de familles, officially opened its new premises on Chemin de Chambly in Longueuil. Every day, the dynamic team at Le Fablier welcomes families and organizes various public education activities to prevent poverty and promote literacy. In Quebec, 1.3 million people over the age of 16 have difficulty reading and writing.
Day after day, Le Fablier carries out its mission on a shoestring budget. That is the case for most of the community organizations in my riding, yet I cannot imagine what our society would be like without these courageous and noble organizations. Federal subsidy programs are inadequate or laden with red tape, and offer no guarantees of future funding.
It is time to stabilize funding for all of these valiant organizations that are key to making good things happen in our society. At the end of every fiscal year, the organizations' clientele and staff find themselves in the same boat: vulnerable to the government's whims. Keeping these organizations guessing from year to year not only interferes with their ability to carry out their missions but is also very disrespectful to them.