Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to rise today to table a petition on behalf of my constituents to halt the closing of the Royal Bank of Canada at the corner of Sargent and Sherbrook in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Unfortunately, in recent years, Winnipeg Centre has witnessed the departure of several bank branches in our neighbourhood. This has been very stressful for our community, which is home to diverse populations, including newcomers, indigenous people, seniors and young families, that depend on access to brick-and-mortar banks within reasonable walking distance from their home. The closure of the bank branches leaves our lower-income neighbours more vulnerable to predatory lenders and exploitative check-cashing operations.
I wrote to the Minister of Industry and the Minister of Finance to raise the concern, but I did not receive a reply from their offices.
I am sincerely thankful for the hard work of my constituents who helped organize signatures for the petition, and I hope that this sign of support from our community will finally push the government to act and to help uphold the financial well-being of the people of Winnipeg Centre.