Human Resources committee  Yes, we do.

Human Resources committee  Yes, it is a big question. I would say that in EndPovertyEdmonton we do believe that housing is a right for all Canadians: the right to have a safe and comfortable home to bring up a family in. I think the important thing.... It's a huge number of dollars that you're talking about.

Human Resources committee  I do not have a figure right now for the entire country. No, I'm sorry.

Human Resources committee  Yes. I'd like to say that what Allan said triggered for me what's really important, we think, in shifting the culture in this whole country around ending poverty, which is to engage our next generation. We've seen the same thing. We've seen the challenges that both indigenous and newcomer youth face, but we've also had amazing young people in Edmonton who have come forward.

Human Resources committee  It's not something I have a lot of detail on, but I would say that our key lead agency in Edmonton is Homeward Trust. Certainly they advocate and are the recipient of a lot of funds that are then disbursed to projects. Of course, the municipality is a huge advocate—

Human Resources committee  Raise that up?

Human Resources committee  In Edmonton, our EndPovertyEdmonton organization is a collective. It really just got off the ground this fall. One of its key roles is to advocate, but it's a very new kid on the block in terms of launching. We see that it will be a key. It's identified in our road map as one of our game-changers, affordable housing.

Human Resources committee  I'm not sure if I can give you that figure offhand. I think it certainly is something that's increasing. I could follow up and provide that to you.

Human Resources committee  I think so. Certainly there are challenges for newcomers to just learn the systems. I mean, some of the systems are the barriers themselves. These are the systems of red tape and of having to go from one agency to another. They can find their way through that maze if they have support, if they have a cultural navigator.

Human Resources committee  I think so. We have an amazing community in Edmonton. Some of our leaders in terms of the work we've been doing these past two years are the leaders of our indigenous community organizations. As Jino, Allan, and all of us have talked about, the expertise is great. For instance, the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women in Edmonton works with women in order to provide them with the capacity to apply for jobs, to have that capacity to address barriers.

Human Resources committee  In our experience with our task force for the past two years in Edmonton, it really came through loud and clear from our community, as we talked to both indigenous Edmontonians and newcomers, that some of the barriers they face are systemic barriers. They're barriers that are related to discrimination and racism.

Human Resources committee  We know that our newcomers face challenges with their credentials when they come to this country. They may come with vast experience, great academic credentials, and be unable to find a position that suits their skills or where they can really contribute. Our approach in Edmonton is focused on a human rights and dignity approach.

Human Resources committee  Access to affordable housing, we believe, is a human right. We see that there are barriers for newcomers and for our high-risk, at-risk youth. Certainly in Edmonton now, we're very pleased that we have a 10-year plan to end homelessness, which is well toward the 10-year period. They're looking now to update that and to ask where some of the gaps are.

Human Resources committee  One of the areas, I think, that has been identified very recently from our experience in Edmonton is the permanent support of housing that is needed. It is really an area that has come to the fore. In the homelessness counts that are done regularly, annually, in most cities, ours included, I think a significant portion was the chronically homeless.

Human Resources committee  Thank you. We urge you to continue your investment in community-based anti-racism and anti-poverty initiatives, and we'd like to close today with the words of Nelson Mandela, “Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.”