(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. (Translation ends) Today I'd like to share some heartfelt advice I received from a long-term professional working as a government employee in my constituency. This person is originally from the South. Her concern about the recent cuts to wages and benefits is not for herself. She said, "we professionals can find work in other places, but many of the supporting staff depend on their jobs for food, shelter and clothing. There is already so much hurt and distress that people are trying to deal with, that the added stress of losing their livelihood of benefits adds to increased mental health problems." My constituent went on to point out that our small Communities are often already underserviced in these areas. She asked , how can the government expect our hard-pressed front-line staff in the community to deal with all the pressures of their jobs when they are overwhelmed with personal concerns or whether they will have jobs or more rent increases?
Many people are supporting large extended families and already have very little left over after recent increasing rents and decreasing wages will force those people to move into overcrowded conditions, she predicts. Mental and physical health is sure to suffer, my constituent says. It isn't the southern professionals who will be hurt, it is the aboriginal people, many of whom see their community jobs as a stepping stone to participate in the Nunavut government. My constituent tells me that they are now getting angry that no one seems to care about them. It also seems that in the midst of these pressures, now it will be almost impossible for these community workers ... Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.