Mr. Speaker, Cal Maskery was serving time for violent crime. One day in the depths of despair, he saw Billy Graham preaching on television and he decided to turn his life around.
Cal met his wife, a local volunteer, while still in prison. They got married on the day of his release.
Cal wanted to help people, so he founded Harvest House Atlantic in Moncton, where he remains the executive director. Harvest House is a community hub for those in need. It now includes an emergency shelter, step-up housing, addictions recovery, and skills training. Harvest House is supported through donations and through some government programs, like the Canada summer jobs program.
However, this year, Harvest House had its application rejected as incomplete because Cal would not sign the values test. This values test and the vote tonight are not about politics or ideology. It is about people like Cal and the communities they serve. It is about addicts who need help. It is about seniors who need housing. It is about young people who set out on a path to lifelong service. It is about charitable organizations that want to serve their communities.
These are the people for whom we are fighting.