Statement made on 07 June 2011 by Senator Art Eggleton
Hon. Art Eggleton:
Honourable senators, other than seniors, I did not see any mention of poverty at all in the government's platform. However, I want to focus on the way forward again. The leader mentioned housing, so let me ask about housing.
There were two housing programs — the portable housing initiative and the renovation program on housing — that expired at the end of the fiscal year and were not renewed. We have no indication of what the way forward is in terms of housing, and yet millions of people in this country need affordable housing. They are paying too much or do not have decent accommodation. Yes, the government is taking action on the homelessness file, but there is more to it than that.
What is the way forward here? We keep getting an indication that perhaps the government will get out of the housing business altogether. Will there be housing programs to replace the ones that expired at the end of the fiscal year?
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