Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It

was good to hear Minister Lafferty's recent statement in this House on homelessness initiatives in small communities. Homelessness can affect those who are hard to house for various reasons, those who require emergency shelter, and we do seem to be making some progress on that front.

But today I want to talk about what is available for those without accommodations that show up on a transient basis. It is a fact — and will probably continue to be — that some people unknown to the community will show up unannounced and expect that some sort of social net will accommodate them. These people can appear as they just wander about the country. Some may choose the North under the impression that the northern frontier may offer employment opportunities. Some may have problems with mental illness or addiction, or some may have just worn out their welcome in other jurisdictions and be looking for a fresh start.

For whatever reason, people not known to our residents or our community show up with the expectation that they won't be left on the street. The people are often referred to our local churches. This poses problems in that many churches have their own financial challenges, not to mention being ill equipped to deal with these strangers who show up at their church or even at their homes.

The transient person may have behavioural issues that could affect the safety of our clergy. So although it is a well-known Christian principle to extend a hand of hospitality to strangers, in fact this can sometimes be a real problem.

We need a well-prepared plan of response when these people arrive in our town. We need financial and logistical resources to deal with them. We can't just react on an ad hoc basis or wish them away or have them wandering around our community.

Later today I will have questions for Minister Lafferty on how the issue of transients can be dealt with, and perhaps he can help us with who we are going to call. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.