International Day for the Eradication of Poverty - Member Statement
MS. CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Madam Speaker, I also rise today to acknowledge the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. In my own constituency of Dartmouth South, we are often regarded as well-off. We have lovely residential neighbourhoods, a thriving downtown and several new condos and rental buildings. But in Dartmouth South and across the province you don't have to look very far to see evidence of poverty. We have several buildings managed by Housing Nova Scotia that are home to low-income seniors, many of whom I see in my office each week for issues related to not being able to afford medication or food or both, or other of the myriad issues that poverty engenders.
In our downtown on any given day you'll see the same folks in the same spots, who spend their time trying to find enough change to buy a meal. With no shelters in Dartmouth, they often look for transit tickets to take them to Halifax for a warm bed. In our toniest neighbourhoods, you'll find youth care facilities where children who live in poverty by circumstance of birth do their best to attend school, have a childhood, and fight the stigma that follows them.
On this day, I would encourage all members of this House to cast an eye to their own constituencies and take stock of the places where poverty has the deepest impact. I'd suggest that these are the places to which we should first give our attention when this House adjourns.
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