Human Resources committee  My answer will be brief. In a way, some attempts were made to make this known. We issued releases and we contacted MPs and politicians. In any case, we are up against prejudice, and defending the rights of the poorest of the poor is not considered to be worthwhile. It seems to me that we are very concerned about people who do not know how to establish a budget, but we are less concerned with people who have nothing to eat.

Human Resources committee  The Front commun des personnes assistées sociales du Québec does propose a universal guaranteed income, which would not be subject to seizure and which could not be reduced. If everyone in Canada received a basic income that would ensure they would never lack the basics... Statistics Canada's low-income cutoff causes problems for political decision-makers.

Human Resources committee  The cost to society is extremely high. If young people find themselves living in Maisons de jeunes, this is very costly. The Maisons de la famille are also very expensive, but these are the effects of poverty. I have been working with people living in poverty for 40 years. I worked in youth protection, I have been involved with welfare recipients, with young drug users and with people who are released from prison.

Human Resources committee  Our organization, the Front commun des personnes assistées sociales du Québec, has used this program jointly with the Ligue des droits et libertés (Civil Liberties Union) to defend the rights of persons on social assistance. We challenge labour laws that are not respected as well as socio-economic and cultural rights.

Human Resources committee  Yes, if it does not exist. Then we would have an income and we could spend it when we needed it.

Human Resources committee  Family income is taken into account in taxation, but that involves other limitations. In my opinion, income splitting for someone earning a lower salary does have advantages. However, even as far as refundable tax credits are concerned, we must remember that more and more people in the labour force are under the low-income threshold established by Statistics Canada.

Human Resources committee  Good day. The Front commun des personnes assistées sociales du Québec includes 34 associations advocating for the rights of social assistance recipients from various regions of Quebec. I can tell you that poverty is seen as being nothing less than an impenetrable barrier. People living in poverty are excluded as citizens.