HANSARD - OCTOBER 22
Hon. Hedy Fry (Vancouver Centre, Liberal)
Mr Speaker, last week was Second Annual Homelessness week, in Greater Vancouver. Vancouverites overwhelmingly identify Homelessness as their number one social challenge. I think other Canadian cities will agree.
The last Liberal government had committed $1.4 billion dollars to a partnership with municipalities, provinces non profit and private sectors to provide shelters, single occupancy units and temporary living for those Canadians who have no shelter...
We had developed a "Cities Plan" with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
These were all swept away by this New Conservative Government. Their 2004 platform, 2006 and 2007 budgets never mentioned homelessness nor housing...
Instead, they cut the Liberal homelessness fund; restoring it much later as the re-branded Homelessness National Strategy, with greatly decreased funding.
Now the Speech from the Throne mentions the word homelessness, in passing, no plan, no funds...
Are we to believe that after 3 years this government has developed a social conscience? Or is it just more of that old Smoke and Mirrors trick that they do so well.
