That same day, The Guardian had devoted its entire print edition to the issue of poverty, with stories and photos in every section and on every page, telling the stories of Islanders in need and those who work to help them.
It sparked a full day of debate in the P.E.I. legislature, with MLAs on all sides of the house commending the paper for highlighting this important issue and raising their own concerns about Islanders forced to live in poverty.
Opposition MLA Colin LaVie zeroed in on the disparity between mileage paid to social assistance clients who have to travel to medical appointments who get only 20 cents per kilometre while government employees get 41 cents per kilometre.
“The premier wouldn’t get it. He was brought up on a silver spoon. That’s why he doesn’t get it,” LaVie said.
“There are a lot of people who are not born in privilege and raised in privilege here on P.E.I. I’m one of them, premier…. I walked the hall down to the social services. I know what’s it’s like. I know what it’s like to lose a job with two kids home. I know exactly what it’s like.”
RELATED: Read The Guardian's special edition, The Price of Poverty
Family and Human Services Minister Tina Mundy stressed that while the policy does say welfare clients only get 20 cents per kilometre for medical appointments, more can be made available for those with additional needs. In addition, she pointed out social assistance clients also receive $25 per month for regular transportation.
“For our social assistance clients, we work with them on a case by case situation,” Mundy told reporters.
Brad Trivers asked why cabinet approved $6 million for Holland College to build a new student residence in Charlottetown - a project that will displace a number of refugees and locals living in several of low-income housing units current located on the future residence site.
“Why do you support destroying these people’s homes and bulldozing the businesses they’ve worked so hard to build here?” Trivers asked.
Workforce and Advanced Learning Minister Sonny Gallant struggled to answer this line of questioning, noting it is an initiative of Holland College, not a government-driven project.
“The college has hired a real estate agent to help these tenants find new accommodations, at their cost,” Gallant said.
“There’s numerous departments working on (a) poverty reduction strategy to see what we can do, and we’re working collaboratively with the federal government and across government to do what we can do.”
Darlene Compton pressed government on this promised poverty reduction strategy and how it will offer new initiatives to help those most vulnerable in P.E.I.
Compton noted there has been no update to the Liberal government’s previous poverty reduction strategy in five years.
“It says a lot to Islanders how poverty is a back-burner issue as far as this government goes,” she said.
“This government needs to do better that’s the bottom line here.”
Mundy says a discussion paper on poverty will be released soon to gather public input on what initiatives should be in the province’s new poverty reduction strategy.
She also acknowledged many of the programs in her department need to be updated and modernized and said reviewing these programs is a priority, “to make sure that they are meeting the needs of the clients that they are intended to serve.”
The conversation continued after question period with MLAs on all sides of the house speaking to an Opposition resolution calling for a long-term poverty reduction strategy.
Government house leader Richard Brown was especially impassioned in his remarks, often having to pause to swallow back tears.
“It gets me so mad when people think it’s their fault,” Brown said of people on social assistance or living in poverty.
“We may not ever be millionaires, but we could all one day be poor.”
He stressed the need for government, community organizations and all Islanders to do more to help lift Islanders out of poverty.
“We have to do better… it’s time to move the file and move the markers.”
Teresa.wright@tc.tc
Twitter.com/GuardianTeresa
