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House Hansard - 143

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 7, 2022 02:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 143 - Dec/7/22
Mrs. Jenica Atwin (Fredericton, Lib.)
  • Dec/7/22 2:05:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, reflecting on the year as it draws to a close, we cannot ignore the challenges that many members of our communities across the country are facing. We also know that kindness, generosity and empathy are the lights that shine the brightest at this time of year. We all have stories that come to mind of goodwill and compassion, the radiant moments when people are connected by our shared humanity. I am pleased to have the opportunity to celebrate the people who give and bring our communities closer together: the members of the carpenters' union, local 1386, who donated 104 turkeys to the Oromocto area food bank; the thousands of families who have opened their hearts and homes to Ukrainians fleeing war; and the people who volunteer their time to contribute to the important mission of Meals on Wheels by delivering food while breaking isolation with a moment of connection. To everyone who digs deep to give what they can, I give my thanks. I am reminded of a quote by Scott Adams: “there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” I am filled with hope at the prospect of watching ripples of kindness illuminate our homes in the year to come.
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Context: House Hansard - 143 - Dec/7/22
Ms. Raquel Dancho
  • Dec/7/22 7:09:06 p.m.
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Madam Chair, first of all, on indigenous housing, I certainly agree that there needs to be solutions led by the indigenous community. We see first-hand in Winnipeg very clearly that every effort made, whether it is by the federal government, which has spent billions of dollars on affordable housing, or otherwise, has failed. It has failed. The problem has only gotten worse. I drive in downtown Winnipeg every day. I live just outside of Winnipeg. I lived in Winnipeg for almost 10 years. The problem has never been worse. Bus shelters have become de facto residences for people. It is everywhere. There are tent cities. I have never seen it so bad and I have been around the area for 32 years. I also volunteer at the soup kitchen, so to speak, downtown. There are several of them. A lot of them provide temporary housing. I can see the need first-hand. I think it is important that we all take the time to volunteer at non-profits and charitable organizations that feed and house people, at least temporarily, so that we understand the failures of public policy and the impact they have. I would agree there needs to be an indigenous-led housing strategy, because the money that has been spent thus far on affordable housing has clearly not met the need. We are seeing the need increase. Right now in Winnipeg it is almost -30°C, so, clearly, we need to find more solutions for affordable housing for our indigenous community and for all those facing housing vulnerability.
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