Human Resources committee  I'd like to see a recovery-based national mental health plan with actual teeth, because mental health affects everybody. It affects all cultures and socio-economic groups. We're going to pay the price if we don't start taking care of our people, and it's getting to that point now.

Human Resources committee  Could I make a comment on taxation? If I'm correct in this, at one time didn't business carry, slightly, the tax burden for the country? That has changed over the past years, and now it's the middle class that's actually carrying the largest tax burden for the amount of money brought in.

Human Resources committee  I'd love to address that. I think there needs to be accountability. I think the legislation--and I don't know how that's going to be possible--could be changed to allow people who lived in poverty, or were having these kinds of problems, to take individuals to court, and they wouldn't bear the onus of responsibility or the onus to prove their case.

Human Resources committee  I'd like to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to appear at this hearing to testify on the implications of poverty on individuals with mental illnesses. Social assistance plays a crucial role in determining the extent of poverty in this province. The agency's vision includes this statement: We strive to ensure that diversity is respected, that people feel accepted and valued, and live with dignity and security.