Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to bring up an ongoing issue that has never been adequately resolved. This issue is income support and the clawback that occurs on money that is considered unearned income.
As the Minister clarified to my colleague Mr. Braden last week, unearned income that is clawed back by the territorial government includes IBA payments and the federal fuel rebate of $125, which was just issued to low-income earners throughout Canada. It seems to me that an injustice is occurring by clawing back the money to people on income support. They are the people most in need of funding to maintain a basic standard of living. They are the people who are the most directly affected by any changes in funding, in the sense that they are negatively impacted.
It sometimes appears that all the income support is doing is creating a paper-pushing job for someone to process payments in one area and clawback in another. The people who need the money are not seeing it.
The issue of what makes up unearned income for income support recipients needs legal interpretation. I have raised these concerns with my colleagues and the Minister and the issue has remained unresolved for quite some time. I have taken the first step in getting this issue resolved. At the appropriate time, I will be tabling a legal interpretation of this matter in the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
-- Applause