Mr. Chair, I thank the hon. colleague for Vancouver East for her allyship and advocacy, particularly around indigenous housing.
That $150 million was provided during COVID. Now the excuse is that the government is cutting back the $150 million in funding, because it was special funding that was implemented in COVID, even though we know that rates of violence have increased since COVID. How can it justify cutting $150 million from shelters that are needed for people fleeing violence?
It cannot just be any shelter; it also has to be culturally appropriate. There have to be people there who understand the distinct needs of groups, including indigenous peoples. That cutback is going to cost lives. That cutback is going to take away beds that could mean the difference between a person surviving or not. We are here again talking about a $7.6-billion cutback because this is a life-and-death matter, and it is such a normalized topic in this place, we barely have an audience.
We are human beings deserving to live with dignity and human rights. That is very simple. We have to stop making excuses. This government needs to stop stalling, doing incremental justice and provide the support that is needed now.