Mr. Speaker, this week, a working group of local mayors, regional district directors, the MLA, the MP, first nations, and community groups like the Alberni-Clayoquot Health Network put together the Alberni-Clayoquot working together to reduce poverty protocol agreement.
The protocol agreement compels leaders to consider the innate connections between poverty and health outcomes when formulating policy and planning for the future of our communities.
Sadly, Canada and B.C. have failed to show leadership on poverty reduction, and it shows. The ACRD has the fourth highest rate of poverty in all of British Columbia. One in three children are living in poverty. The percentage of people receiving income assistance in that area is three times the provincial average. This is why we need collaborative leadership on poverty eradication across all jurisdictions.
There is a lot to be done, but together we can work to lift people out of poverty and build thriving, strong communities for all.