Hastings-Lennox and Addington MP Mike Bossio serves up lunch at the Morningstar Mission in Napanee.(Photo: submitted).
Hastings-Lennox and Addington MP Mike Bossio was joined by MP Adam Vaughan, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development for consultations on rural poverty and affordable housing in Napanee, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, and Corbyville Thursday, June 29.
By opening the dialogue on how to reduce poverty, the Government of Canada is moving forward on its commitment to find solutions to improve the economic well-being of all Canadian families so they can have a real and fair chance to succeed.
The consultations began with Bossio and Vaughan visiting the Morningstar Mission in Napanee for the lunch service. The Mission, which is funded by private donations and support from St Mary Magdalene Anglican Church, serves roughly 100 clients each week by providing food, fellowship, prayer, and other essential services.
This was followed by a meeting in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory with Chief R. Donald Maracle of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ) to discuss issues of concern. He drew attention to the need for more units of housing, which requires more water service capacity.
Vaughan and Bossio were then joined by MP Neil Ellis for a roundtable discussion in Corbyville at the community centre. More than 70 people joined the discussion, and raised many issues, including:
· the challenge of rural areas not having services close to where people live – those that are able to access service improve their condition, but those who cannot stay trapped in the poverty cycle;
· the need for more support for Indigenous communities;
· the need to reconsider the funding model, since organizations are competing for operating funds with each other, when they should be working collaboratively;
· the need for more family counselling;
· the issue of food insecurity; and,
· the need to put women at the centre of access to affordable housing, due to domestic violence issues, as well as childcare needs.
The Government of Canada is committed to reducing poverty and improving the economic well-being of all Canadian families so they can have a real and fair chance to succeed. Through the federal budget, the Government of Canada has invested in a range of initiatives to support poverty reduction, including the Canada Child Benefit, expanding the Homelessness Partnering Strategy, and increasing the Old Age Security’s Guaranteed Income Supplement.
