Mr. Speaker, there are many reasons to be proud of my riding, Saint John—Rothesay. It is a riding of great success, but also a riding of many in need. Chronic generational poverty is a drain on the lifeblood of our city, with 31% of our children living in poverty. That is number one in the country.
I respectfully ask the Prime Minister and the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and all of my colleagues to choose our city as the model for the Canadian poverty reduction strategy.
Why Saint John? It is because we are the most vulnerable population in the country in terms of children living in poverty. Our city size and demographics make Saint John an excellent test case for a national strategy.
We are ready. We have the co-operation of all levels of government and a strong network of community and business organizations, all committed to ending poverty, especially child poverty in Saint John.
For these reasons, I ask members to choose Saint John as the model city for the Canadian poverty reduction strategy.