Denise Savoie
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SAVOIE CONDEMNS CONSERVATIVES FOR FAILURE TO COMMIT TO HOMELESSNESS PROGRAM
OTTAWA – Victoria MP Denise Savoie is calling on the Conservative government to stop delaying and instead commit to continued full funding of the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI), a federal program that combats homelessness.
Twice this week NDP housing critic Irene Mathyssen has asked Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, if her government will continue to fully fund SCPI beyond this fiscal year. Many Victoria groups have received SCPI funding in the past, including the Our Place Society, Victoria Cool Aid Society, Burnside Gorge Community Association, and Pacifica Housing Advisory Association. In response to Mathyssen’s questions, the Minister said the government is reviewing all programs “to make sure that they were delivering value for money.”
“I’m very worried about the Minister’s answer,” Savoie said. “The last time I heard the Conservatives use the phrase ‘value for money’ was when they cut funding for women’s, literacy, youth employment and aboriginal programs. I hope the Conservatives don’t have the same treatment in mind for SCPI funding.”
Savoie noted that housing-related protests this week reflect the dire situation in Victoria, and the need for greater federal investment.
“We wouldn’t be in this crisis if the federal government was truly committed to affordable housing and to addressing the severe homelessness problem in so many of our Canadian cities.”
Savoie emphasized that the City of Victoria and other municipalities have very limited tax bases and can’t be expected to solve these problems on their own. “The cooperation – indeed the leadership – of the federal government is essential. But instead of leading, the Conservatives are ducking questions.”
In the last Parliament, the NDP succeeded in getting $1.6 billion allocated for affordable housing construction with no requirement of provincial or territorial matching funds. The federal NDP continues to call for a national affordable housing program and the underwriting of low-interest mortgages for affordable housing, as part of the solution to the housing crisis.