Thank you, Mr. Chair. As the Minister said, if the focus on the program is on lower income earners and to address poverty issues, shall we say, then perhaps the program is working. What it is not doing is helping middle-class or middle-income earners, who are perhaps single parents or individuals renting. It is not doing much to help them. My concern is that affordability remains high, and if you are a young person coming back to start your life in the North and you don't have two incomes and you are renting and your rent is very high and your cost of living increases to grow, you can't find affordability in your home situation. You may be given very few choices. Finding a spouse so you can add an extra income to your household is probably too much a choice for most people to make. The other choice is leaving. The more people we lose to our high cost of living, the fewer resources this government has to provide services and benefits to Northerners. So I would strongly recommend we take a look, maybe not through this program, but another program, to help those middle-income earners, who are young people struggling to make ends meet. They might have well-paying jobs, but it is just not well enough for our high cost of living. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Kieron Testart on Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
In the Legislative Assembly on June 15th, 2016. See this statement in context.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
June 15th, 2016
See context to find out what was said next.