Transition House Association of Nova Scotia Funding - QP

CLAUDIA CHENDER: Let's talk about an important investment. Member organizations of the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia provide life-saving services to Nova Scotians experiencing violence and abuse. Despite a meeting with the Premier last month, these organizations have received no assurance that their funding will continue at the end of the current fiscal year, which is just one month away. This is a budget session. Why is this government creating doubt about continued funding for member organizations of the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia?

HON. LEAH MARTIN » : Thank you to the member opposite for the question. We agree on something: The transition houses are an incredibly important and valued part of our service-provider organizations. We value the life-saving work they do. Transition houses provide shelter, security, food, and support at a time when it is needed most. This is a regular part of the budgeting process and we will have more to say very soon.

CLAUDIA CHENDER: With respect, the budgeting process takes place months before that budget is tabled in the House. There is no excuse for this uncertainty. This uncertainty is not new. We've heard time and time again that organizations specialized in responding to and preventing gender-based violence are stuck in endless cycles of funding applications, never knowing how much support or how many services they can offer next year or even next month. Why does this government believe that patchwork funding is an appropriate response to our province's epidemic of intimate partner violence?

LEAH MARTIN « » : This government does not support patchwork funding. In fact, we supported a historic investment in the 2024-25 budget. That was the biggest infusion for operating costs to transition houses in over two decades. It goes into the Status of Women budget, which is $26.8 million, but there are even bigger cross-governmental supports of $103 million to support this work. We know there is more work to be done, and it doesn't simply boil down to a singular budget line item. It's far more complex and much bigger than that. It's a cross-governmental approach, and we hope the Opposition can get on board.