Human Resources committee  What I gave you was just the tip of the iceberg. There were so many causes, and the lack of education in itself came out as number one, if I were to quantify those causes. Then it became very hard to distinguish between what was said more times than others, because they all sort of fell along.

Human Resources committee  Those are good points. Yes, the provincial government is only one player at the table, and yes, it's a very tight timeframe. But when the provincial government comes to the table as a player.... We're a bit unique, in that we're an umbrella group. This is not about just the Department of Social Development.

Human Resources committee  Because this is not a government process only, I don't want to speak for myself, for my department, or for the New Brunswick government, but what I'm hearing throughout--and because we've made a lot of contacts--is that perhaps there could be an agency established. Maybe there's already an organization that is doing great things by looking at establishing indicators, monitoring, continuing to look at that “What was Said” document, and asking where we need to put the money and our efforts to address those needs.

Human Resources committee  At this stage of the process, of the initiative, we haven't really found a way to bring the federal government to the table. In the dialogue phase, we talked about how we are going to get them there. That was really sort of the big picture phase, the brainstorming, allowing people to really get comfortable and also bringing about awareness of poverty in the communities.

Human Resources committee  In June we will be holding what we're referring to as round table sessions. There will be about six full days with 30 participants who we believe are experts in poverty. I don't necessarily mean academics; I mean those who have lived in poverty, those who have first-hand knowledge of dealing with people in poverty.

Human Resources committee  Yes, and I'm not familiar with the EI system. I have no personal experience other than with a son. What we heard from people is that once they were determined eligible, there was quite a long waiting period. One particular person I talked to said they were told that people hadn't been able to review their claim because they were so backlogged.

Human Resources committee  Yes. Right now, we provide social assistance benefits for persons with disabilities. If anybody knows about our social assistance rates, although they're not the lowest in the country, they fall below what would allow people to have a decent standard of living. Persons with disabilities said that they don't want to be on welfare, that they want an income that allows them to have a decent standard of life.

Human Resources committee  That is one thing we've heard. You have to be medically certified. It is quite a process.

Human Resources committee  Absolutely. We heard that pay equity was an issue. The lack of affordable child care and the lack of spaces for child care are certainly issues for many families--not just for young single moms but for the working poor--with regard to being able to find a job to earn a living. There were many other points, but I didn't attach them all to this presentation because I didn't find that there was as much that the federal government could do, so I didn't raise them.

Human Resources committee  Again, remember that I'm speaking about what we heard as we went around the province. I didn't come prepared with the list of what we think can be done or what people in New Brunswick think can be done, but definitely, as number one, most people said they think there should be free post-secondary education.

Human Resources committee  Right. And that's a long time. They're saying that they can never move forward. In some instances, we heard of 28-year-olds still living with their parents because they cannot afford to be on their own and still meet their financial obligations related to student loan debt.

Human Resources committee  Thank you very much. As Dean has said, my name is Phyllis Mockler-Caissie. I am a provincial civil servant and I have been assigned the role of project manager for the poverty reduction initiative that currently is under way in New Brunswick. I have worked with the department or with government for over 20 years.