Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to Pictures Media Radio. Welcome to
Speaker 1: Policy and Rights, the show about the government policy and human.
Speaker 2: Rights investigations are ongoing, and the Minister will share all
Speaker 2: that we learned in the appropriate moment. But we're taking
Speaker 2: this extremely seriously because Canadians need to have confidence in
Speaker 2: our immigration system and on the millions of people who've
Speaker 2: come here over the past years to build a better
Speaker 2: life for themselves in their future. We need to make
Speaker 2: sure everything is done to keep Canadians safe.
Speaker 3: Is the issue that you are not sure as how
Speaker 3: this person came to Canada or just not willing to
Speaker 3: share at this point what you know.
Speaker 2: We are proceeding in a proper and thorough investigation and
Speaker 2: exactly how this happened, and we will share with Canadians
Speaker 2: at the appropriate moment.
Speaker 4: Trudeau has destroyed our entire immigration system, and he has
Speaker 4: expanded the temporary foreign worker program by well over two
Speaker 4: hundred percent at a time when we're losing jobs. When
Speaker 4: I was responsible for that program in twenty fifteen, we
Speaker 4: had only sixty thousand temporary foreign workers. Now it's close
Speaker 4: to two hundred thousand. And on top of that, you
Speaker 4: have international students who are effectively, temporary foreign workers came
Speaker 4: under the wrong stream. Our temporary foreign worker program should
Speaker 4: only be available to fill jobs that employers have proven,
Speaker 4: beyond a doubt cannot be filled by Canadians. It should
Speaker 4: never be used to bring in low wage workers from
Speaker 4: poor countries to take jobs away from or suppress the
Speaker 4: wages of Canadians.
Speaker 1: Allright, welcome back to policy and ratoon depictions Media Radio.
Speaker 1: I'm your host, Michael Kloks and we just heard g
Speaker 1: let's see who can blame the other side? First sort
Speaker 1: of thing. Apparently a alleged member of ices made it into
Speaker 1: Canada through immigration, and of course there is a huge
Speaker 1: investigation into who this person really is and how they
Speaker 1: actually got into the into Canada, and Justin Trudeau denying
Speaker 1: any sort of mishaps in saying we need to investigate
Speaker 1: and we and he will reveal to the public at
Speaker 1: the appropriate time when he knows more. You know, same story,
Speaker 1: different page. I don't not even sure. Maybe it's only
Speaker 1: a different paragraph. With with the Liberal government that they
Speaker 1: never seem to really know what's going on, but they're
Speaker 1: in charge of the country. Okay. So along with that,
Speaker 1: we heard from mister Polvier as he criticizes how the
Speaker 1: Liberal government is running immigration and that their policies are
Speaker 1: destroying the jobs that are here in Canada and giving
Speaker 1: them away to immigrants from poor countries. So name calling,
Speaker 1: blaming the usual games for both mister Polvier and mister Trudeau.
Speaker 1: Neither one seems to be able to take responsibility for
Speaker 1: what they're really doing for Canada. So I just thought
Speaker 1: we should start off with that rather than hey me
Speaker 1: doing my introduction. First, we are going to hear more
Speaker 1: from Justin Trudeau as he was at a good Year
Speaker 1: plant and talking about job security, and of course, all right,
Speaker 1: we're talking about job security and Justin Trudeau of course
Speaker 1: saying that the Conservative government will never invest into ensuring
Speaker 1: that jobs are secure for for the middle class and
Speaker 1: for the working class people. That he that that they
Speaker 1: would never invest into any type of program that would
Speaker 1: ensure that jobs can stay in Canada. Of course, back
Speaker 1: to where back to the blame game again with that,
Speaker 1: it's a the only thing that mister Polviier and mister
Speaker 1: Trudeau know how to do is blame each other for
Speaker 1: the problems that are happening in Canada. Well, mister Trudeau,
Speaker 1: you are actually in charge of Canada. You are the
Speaker 1: Prime minister that you have the responsibility, not the ability
Speaker 1: to blame mister Polvier. And it's true that the Conservative
Speaker 1: government they don't have a better plan for how to
Speaker 1: help the middle class with with the high rates of
Speaker 1: inflation that are that we are seeing right now. So
Speaker 1: by blaming mister Trudeau for everything that is happening, he
Speaker 1: is shielding himself from the idea that well he doesn't
Speaker 1: know what to do either. So and what is it
Speaker 1: that that we might actually see happen that will help
Speaker 1: the economy and help bring a little more life security
Speaker 1: to to to what is actually happening with inflation and
Speaker 1: the high prices and everything that we're actually experiencing. So
Speaker 1: a why do we move forward to We do have
Speaker 1: another segment where homeless vets and there's an organization out
Speaker 1: there that is helping homeless vets and they got a
Speaker 1: visit from the Minister of f Housing au Federal Minister
Speaker 1: of Housing and they are celebrating the work that they
Speaker 1: do to actually find help homes and maybe some sort
Speaker 1: of prosperity for those who defended the country of Canada,
Speaker 1: they went abroad, fought a war, whatever was it they
Speaker 1: that was asked of them by our government and by
Speaker 1: us as citizens. And with that, we do actually have
Speaker 1: a responsibility to these people to ensure that when they
Speaker 1: come back that they are celebrated for what they did.
Speaker 1: They did it regardless of their political feelings. They did it,
Speaker 1: they do They did their job regardless of our public opinions.
Speaker 1: They did it because they are stand up citizens and
Speaker 1: wanted to to do something special to defend the country
Speaker 1: that we call Canada, the land that we live on
Speaker 1: and have a democratic republic on, and they deserve better
Speaker 1: than to be living on the streets. So we're gonna
Speaker 1: hear hear some of that also today. So well, I mean,
Speaker 1: move forward and let's listen to uh the Goodyear plant
Speaker 1: in Ontario as mister Trudeau uh S spoke and talked
Speaker 1: about what it is that the Liberal Party is doing
Speaker 1: to secure jobs for Canadians, if he is helping Canadians
Speaker 1: find jobs.
Speaker 5: Hello and welcome everyone, Thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 5: My name is Laura Duda. I am senior vice president
Speaker 5: and chief Communications Officer for Goodyear Monstus at Bmvenue. I
Speaker 5: would like to take a moment to acknowledge that we
Speaker 5: are gathered here today on the traditional territory of the
Speaker 5: Inishinabe hony No Shone and here on wen People's Goodyear
Speaker 5: honors all First Nations, Inuit and may Tee peoples and
Speaker 5: their contributions to this land. Thank you, Miltsi. It is
Speaker 5: great to see so many members of Team Goodyear and
Speaker 5: our government partners gathered here as we mark an important
Speaker 5: milestone for our company and for Canada. Goodyear has a long,
Speaker 5: proud history of innovation, job creation and community building here
Speaker 5: in Napanee thirty six years to be exact. What we
Speaker 5: are announcing today will be key to Goodyear's continued growth
Speaker 5: in Canada and globally. To help us unveil this exciting milestone,
Speaker 5: I'm pleased to have Goodyear's global Chief executive Officer and
Speaker 5: President Mark Stewart here with us. We are also honored
Speaker 5: to have several federal, provincial and local leaders joining us
Speaker 5: who have been strong supporters of manufacturing, advocates for sustainability,
Speaker 5: and drivers of economic growth for many years, including the
Speaker 5: right Honorable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Honorable Doug Ford,
Speaker 5: Premier of Ontario, the Honorable Mary Ing, Minister of Export Promotions,
Speaker 5: International Trade and Economic Developments, the Honorable Vic Fidelli, Ontario
Speaker 5: Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Terry Richardson,
Speaker 5: Mayor of Napanee, John Wise Reeve of Stone Mills and
Speaker 5: Warden of Lennox and Addington County. So welcome everyone, without
Speaker 5: further ado, let's get to the big announcement. Please welcome
Speaker 5: to the podium Goodyear's Global CEO and President Mark Stewart.
Speaker 1: Okay, so we heard a little bit from Justin Trudeau.
Speaker 1: We didn't play some of the other speakers who really
Speaker 1: wanted to focus more on Justin Trudeau because you know,
Speaker 1: he's being accused of tossing away the jobs that Canadians
Speaker 1: need by mister Povier, and of course he it's accusing
Speaker 1: mister Povier of tossing away the same jobs by way
Speaker 1: of he won't invest into companies that need the money. Okay.
Speaker 1: So next up, we're gonna hear from Housing Minister Sean Fraser,
Speaker 1: and we're also gonna hear from Veteran Affairs Minister uh
Speaker 1: Jeannette T. Taylor as they announced an investment of more
Speaker 1: than six point seven million dollars to support two programs
Speaker 1: for veterans in Nova Scotia who are experiencing a high
Speaker 1: risk of homelessness. The news conference UH takes place in
Speaker 1: Dartmouth office of the Veterans Emergency Transition Service or VETS,
Speaker 1: and is also attended by the Liberal mp UH Darren
Speaker 1: Fisher of the VETS, CEO w Lowther UH and Landing
Speaker 1: Strong Cooperative Founder executive director Belinda Seagram as they talk
Speaker 1: about what our veterans need to come back into civilian
Speaker 1: life and thrive, not just simply survive the way they
Speaker 1: are by living on the streets and having to deal
Speaker 1: with some of the mental and emotional stresses that came
Speaker 1: back with them when they returned to civilian life.
Speaker 6: Everybody seated, who's going to sit?
Speaker 7: All right?
Speaker 3: Folks? Thank you all so much for coming out in
Speaker 3: such an absolutely beautiful day. We got the two or
Speaker 3: three days of rain out of the way, We got
Speaker 3: the humidity, what feels like most of the humidity out
Speaker 3: of the way. And if there are people here that
Speaker 3: don't live in Darmouth, by all means, hit me up
Speaker 3: for a real estate business card later. It's not easy
Speaker 3: to find a place to live in Dartmouth Coal Harbor anymore.
Speaker 3: We seem to have been the hot new place to live.
Speaker 3: So you might have a bit of a struggle finding
Speaker 3: a place, but we'll help you. We'll work on that
Speaker 3: for you.
Speaker 6: My name is Darren Fisher, and I live a mile
Speaker 6: away from here.
Speaker 3: And to say that Ve's Canada is and I'm singling
Speaker 3: out of That's Canada for a moment.
Speaker 6: We're in their beautiful new location.
Speaker 3: But to say that they're near and dear to my
Speaker 3: heart is a bit of an exaggeration. They are literally
Speaker 3: nearer to my heart where I live. Each time they
Speaker 3: move successively. They were downtown, they moved a little bit uptown,
Speaker 3: and now they're here on Maine at Caledonia, and it's
Speaker 3: a great new location. And I have to tell you
Speaker 3: that hiding in the back are the guys that have
Speaker 3: been working till midnight.
Speaker 6: Midnight.
Speaker 3: So I've been to this building numerous times in various
Speaker 3: different iterations, but only the second.
Speaker 6: Time here at Bets Canada.
Speaker 3: And they were all here then, and I think they
Speaker 3: might have been eating brownies and cookies back then as well.
Speaker 3: But literally, and I don't mean to, you know, overstate
Speaker 3: the importance of this, but they've done so much in
Speaker 3: this place in such a short time.
Speaker 6: And literally we're here.
Speaker 3: Until midnight and the only thing Jim couldn't convince them
Speaker 3: to do is put up the baseboards.
Speaker 6: Made you look.
Speaker 3: I want to begin by acknowledging that we are in mcmogie,
Speaker 3: the NC, the territory, the MiG Mob people, and I
Speaker 3: want to just acknowledge a few special people in the crowd.
Speaker 3: Everyone in this crowd is special, so please don't take
Speaker 3: it wrong when I don't acknowledge you. I've got boilerplate
Speaker 3: notes in front of me, but I will try to
Speaker 3: make sure that I do justice to the names on
Speaker 3: this list.
Speaker 6: Jeanette Patapot Taylor.
Speaker 7: We just call her Jeanette. We love her.
Speaker 3: Welcome Jeanette. Minister of Veterans Affairs, Sean Frasier. We also
Speaker 3: just call him Sean. That's what we do in Atlantic Canada.
Speaker 3: We don't go by these big fancy titles. I'm Darren, Jeanette, Sean,
Speaker 3: but Sean is the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.
Speaker 6: Debbie Luther.
Speaker 3: At the back of the room, looking stunning in this
Speaker 3: amazing leisure suit. Debbie Louther, Thanks Debbie for hosting us today.
Speaker 3: Doctor Belinda Seagram, founder and executive director of Landing Strong Cooperative.
Speaker 6: Welcome.
Speaker 7: I've just destroyed the ears.
Speaker 6: Of the media.
Speaker 7: Sorry about that, folks, This.
Speaker 6: Is not good. This guy actually kind of likes me in.
Speaker 1: For now.
Speaker 7: Sorry about.
Speaker 6: Easy for you to do.
Speaker 3: And also I want to acknowledge the board members of
Speaker 3: Vet's Canada and the board members and volunteers from Landing Strong.
Speaker 6: Let's give a round of applause for these two incredible groups.
Speaker 6: So there's so much important work.
Speaker 3: As we as a government look to build a better
Speaker 3: future for all Canadians. We're going to continue to make
Speaker 3: strategic investments in housing and infrastructure that are critical to
Speaker 3: supporting Canada's veterans. We've got the Veterans Minister here today,
Speaker 3: and we've got the Infrastructure ministerday here today. And we
Speaker 3: also have Lina Mettlich dB, the Member of Parliament for
Speaker 3: Halifax West, who I have to say gets out to
Speaker 3: more important announcements than any other MP that I've met
Speaker 3: in my nearly nine years as member of Parliament. Welcome again,
Speaker 3: Lena at Dart McCole harden. So I have the notes
Speaker 3: here with the actual announcement on it, but it's been
Speaker 3: scratched out, which tells me that you're down here in
Speaker 3: the pecking order, so we're going to save the announcement
Speaker 3: for the important ministers. But I do have the words here,
Speaker 3: so I could I could be a real spoiler today
Speaker 3: and start the conversation about what it is that we're
Speaker 3: here to do today. But I'm a great team player
Speaker 3: and I refuse to do that. So without further ado,
Speaker 3: I would like to ask if you if you could
Speaker 3: give your hands a little round of applause for the
Speaker 3: Honorable Sean Frazier, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, who
Speaker 3: will deliver remarks.
Speaker 6: On behalf of the Government of Canada.
Speaker 7: Sorry, hello and welcome everyone.
Speaker 8: Darren, thank you for the kind introduction, And before I
Speaker 8: get too far, let me just say that you've been
Speaker 8: an enormous advocate for this organization That's Canada, and more
Speaker 8: broadly for the issue of housing for veterans from the
Speaker 8: time that we've met. I actually came to learn about
Speaker 8: the organization through a Darren years ago. Subsequent to that,
Speaker 8: a number of other Caucus colleagues, Lena in particular and
Speaker 8: Darryl Sampson, I should acknowledge, have been tremendous advocates for
Speaker 8: the work that vets Canada and other organizations do. I
Speaker 8: also want to say thank you to VETS Canada in
Speaker 8: particular for allowing us to be here in your space
Speaker 8: today to share some important news for your organization, but
Speaker 8: more importantly for the people that you serve, and to
Speaker 8: Landing Strong, who I'm just getting familiar with more recently.
Speaker 8: The work that you do is so important on an
Speaker 8: issue that's near and dear to my heart that I've
Speaker 8: been working on a number of years, which is to
Speaker 8: support veterans and first responders who are struggling with post
Speaker 8: traumatic stress to starter or operational stress injuries, as the
Speaker 8: case may be.
Speaker 7: But today we want to talk a little bit around some.
Speaker 8: Of the work that these organizations can do to help
Speaker 8: integrate members into their community, particularly by providing supports to
Speaker 8: ensure that some of our most vulnerable have housing options
Speaker 8: made available to them. We are living through housing crisis
Speaker 8: across Canada and here in Nova Scotia. It reveals itself
Speaker 8: in very human ways. In different parts of the country.
Speaker 8: You see young people who are priced out of the
Speaker 8: market due to the rise and cost to rent. It's
Speaker 8: increasingly difficult for people to be able to afford a
Speaker 8: home in the community where they grew up. But I
Speaker 8: can't help but think we will never get to a
Speaker 8: point where we can say we've solved the housing crisis
Speaker 8: if some of our most vulnerable continue to go to
Speaker 8: bed without a place to call home every night. Homelessness
Speaker 8: does not impact all of us equally. There are different people,
Speaker 8: different groups within our society who are uniquely and disproportionately impacted.
Speaker 8: And we see in particular, there are too many veterans
Speaker 8: who do not have a place to call home. Our
Speaker 8: estimates are as high as twenty six hundred veterans across
Speaker 8: Canada are experiencing homelessness. This is unacceptable to me. We're
Speaker 8: dealing with people who have been willing to risk their
Speaker 8: lives in service of their country, and in a country
Speaker 8: as wealthy as Canada, if we can afford to send
Speaker 8: our citizens to war, we can afford to take care
Speaker 8: of them.
Speaker 7: When they come home.
Speaker 8: When I think about what people were willing to give,
Speaker 8: the least that we should give back is to ensure
Speaker 8: that those who've served Canada have their basics needs meant.
Speaker 8: That's why we created a program specific to address homelessness
Speaker 8: amongst veterans. The Veterans Homelessness program. It's important that we
Speaker 8: put resources behind our commitments to veterans. It's not enough
Speaker 8: simply to say thank you for your service. It's not
Speaker 8: enough just to go to the cenotaph on Remembrance Day.
Speaker 8: We actually have to put our money where our mouth is.
Speaker 8: We have to create programs that will directly improve the
Speaker 8: quality of life that people get to enjoy at the
Speaker 8: time that their tour is ended. This fund comes with
Speaker 8: a seventy nine point one million dollar contribution, not to
Speaker 8: have the government send cash to people in need, but
Speaker 8: to support organizations who know where the solutions exist in
Speaker 8: their communities on the ground. I'm so pleased to share
Speaker 8: that today we are supporting two Nova Scotia based organizations
Speaker 8: with a contribution of six point seven million dollars to
Speaker 8: help those organizations who help veterans find housing solutions. And
Speaker 8: I think this would be a great time. And while
Speaker 8: I thank you for your applause, please know that the
Speaker 8: groups that deserve your applause Vet's Canada and Landing Strong.
Speaker 8: The works that they do is absolutely incredible. I've had
Speaker 8: the opportunity to meet Jim and Debbie on a couple
Speaker 8: of occasions while through your old facility and to see
Speaker 8: that you're expanding to the new facility is incredible. But
Speaker 8: the work that you do to help people find housing
Speaker 8: in a community where housing is hard to come by
Speaker 8: is extraordinary. You're dealing with people who often have underlying
Speaker 8: issues that complicate their lives beyond the housing challenges they experience,
Speaker 8: and I want to say thank you sincerely for.
Speaker 7: The work that you do.
Speaker 8: Similarly, Landing Strong, the work that you do to be
Speaker 8: able to integrate people into communities, learning a little bit
Speaker 8: about the trauma informed expertise that you have to help
Speaker 8: people overcome illnesses related to their service. It makes me
Speaker 8: very proud to be Canadian to know that there are
Speaker 8: people who are looking out for those who've looked.
Speaker 7: Out for us. When I see the work that you're
Speaker 7: actually going to be able to do.
Speaker 8: That's Canada receiving five point one million dollars to help
Speaker 8: with rent supplements to help close the gap between what
Speaker 8: a person can afford and what's available, making sure that
Speaker 8: you're helping people find temporary accommodations, covering some of the
Speaker 8: movie cause.
Speaker 7: But more than just directly impacting the cost of.
Speaker 8: Housing, you're also placing those wrap around services in place.
Speaker 8: What I see when you're able to use these funds
Speaker 8: to provide UH secure counseling, mental and physical health supports,
Speaker 8: and ensuring that people are developing the life skills necessary
Speaker 8: so they can stand on their own two feet. I
Speaker 8: see real, real value in the organizations providing with Landing
Speaker 8: Strong the work that you're able to do, including putting
Speaker 8: programs in place that focus on that community integration, seeing
Speaker 8: that you have financial aid for housing, and focusing on
Speaker 8: the whole person's ability to recover from service related injuriesies,
Speaker 8: injuries and illnesses. It's extraordinary and to back that work
Speaker 8: that you do with one point five million dollars is
Speaker 8: the kind of thing that I know is going to
Speaker 8: provide value to people in the.
Speaker 7: Delu de evi vet vetan chechey de las mon s.
Speaker 8: Continue mission sand Delgement. We have to make the investments
Speaker 8: necessary to solve these problems, and today brings us one
Speaker 8: step closer. But today's announcement is not about the fund
Speaker 8: that the government puts in place. It's about the work
Speaker 8: that the organizations are doing to help vulnerable people who
Speaker 8: deserve our support because they helped us in our time
Speaker 8: of need, and it's time we help them in theirs.
Speaker 8: I want to say thank you, congratulations to the organizations,
Speaker 8: and I am so looking forward to seeing the help
Speaker 8: that you're going to provide to the people who need it.
Speaker 7: Congratulations.
Speaker 3: Thank you so very much, Minister Fraser for that wonderful news,
Speaker 3: and uh for actually being quite kind to Daryl and
Speaker 3: I when you alluded to advocacy on behalf of That's Canada.
Speaker 3: He didn't use the word pestoring, but I feel that
Speaker 3: we bordered on pasting quite considerably because we did. Lena
Speaker 3: was part of that, and Darryl Sansan was an absolute
Speaker 3: bulldog with this file for many, many years. So he's
Speaker 3: unable to be here today, but I know that he's
Speaker 3: here and hurt, and he's probably if there's a virtual segment,
Speaker 3: he's probably following it right now on zoom or something. Anyway, Now,
Speaker 3: I would like to call upon the Honorable Jeanette Pattapodt Tailor,
Speaker 3: Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defense.
Speaker 9: Thank you so much. Darren Bono to Kay Pleaso, detritiamic
Speaker 9: viugelduis good afternoon, everyone. It's a real honor and privilege
Speaker 9: to be here. With all of you. Darren is always
Speaker 9: wonderful to be in your beautiful riding and always wonderful
Speaker 9: to meet and to work with my colleagues from Nova Scotia,
Speaker 9: all of you. I have to say that when I
Speaker 9: became the Minister of Veterans Affairs, I also heard from
Speaker 9: a lot of you with respect to the wonderful work
Speaker 9: that's being done here in the province of Nova Scotia,
Speaker 9: and I'm really thrilled and honor to be here in
Speaker 9: supporting my friend and colleague Sean Fraser for this real
Speaker 9: the important announcement. As he's indicated, Debbie is in the
Speaker 9: back of the room. Debbie and Jim, thank you so
Speaker 9: much again for hosting us today in what is going
Speaker 9: to be a beautiful facility. We can feel it already,
Speaker 9: and thank you so much for landing Strong for being
Speaker 9: here today as well for this really important announcement. As
Speaker 9: Sean indicated, the celebration today's about the work that you
Speaker 9: do day in and day out, and we are very
Speaker 9: pleased to be able to support the work that you do,
Speaker 9: the very important work that you do in supporting our veterans.
Speaker 9: As Sewn indicated as well, our government's position on homelessness
Speaker 9: has always been very clear. Every Canadian deserves a safe
Speaker 9: and affordable place to call home. That's why Minister Fraser
Speaker 9: has been advancing Canada's housing plan and bringing the federal
Speaker 9: government back into a leadership role when it comes to
Speaker 9: housing in Canada. This includes supporting those who are experiencing
Speaker 9: homelessness and helping them find a safe and affordable place
Speaker 9: to call home, and also making sure that they can
Speaker 9: access the support and resources that they need in their
Speaker 9: time of need. Well call it like Danya de veteran
Speaker 9: de Veteran Canada and Sideville veteran. For some life after
Speaker 9: military is a smooth transition, while others, as we know,
Speaker 9: face challenges and unfortunately, sometimes these challenges are very complex
Speaker 9: and a veteran may find themselves precariously housed. Since twenty fifteen,
Speaker 9: Veterans Affairs Canada has created new programs to help some
Speaker 9: of our most vulnerable veterans. And I'm thinking of a
Speaker 9: few examples of programs that have been created since twenty fifteen,
Speaker 9: one being the Veterans Emergency Fund. So for those who
Speaker 9: aren't aware, when veterans are facing some challenges, they can
Speaker 9: access some emergency funds through Veterans Affairs Canada. We've also
Speaker 9: input in place a new mental health benefit. When veterans
Speaker 9: are applying for mental health care, they can have received
Speaker 9: immediate assistance when it comes to mental health services or
Speaker 9: supporting organizations on the ground who open doors to community,
Speaker 9: educational or volunteer opportunities to help veterans find a renewed
Speaker 9: sense of purpose. And again, we've recently closed an application
Speaker 9: process for the Veteran and Family well Being Fund and
Speaker 9: I'm certain that probably some of you have applied for
Speaker 9: some funding through that stream. But today's program is another
Speaker 9: tool in the toolbox to help these individuals find a
Speaker 9: new way forward. Canada's veterans have made tremendous sacrifices and
Speaker 9: it is our responsibility to make sure that we are
Speaker 9: there for them in their time of need, to provide
Speaker 9: them with the support and care that they need. Our
Speaker 9: government launched the Veterans Homelessness Program because the reality is
Speaker 9: that one veteran experiencing homelessness is one too many METO
Speaker 9: do I'm a capacity as indicated, homelessness is complex and
Speaker 9: each situation requires a different approach. With projects with Vets
Speaker 9: Canada and Landing Strong, we are supporting unique projects that
Speaker 9: will make a huge difference in the lives of veterans.
Speaker 9: By working together to end chronic veteran homelessness, we are
Speaker 9: not just providing a roof over a veterans head. We
Speaker 9: are removing a fundamental barrier to their well being. Veteran
Speaker 9: de la Communoti, competence, the experience, esprit. It's about creating
Speaker 9: an environment where veterans can thrive and continue to give
Speaker 9: back just as they always have. Once again, I simply
Speaker 9: want to take a moment to thank our two organizations today.
Speaker 9: We look forward to the work ahead and again happy
Speaker 9: that we are be able to be a small contributor
Speaker 9: to the important work that you're doing with in our community.
Speaker 9: Thank you so much for doing.
Speaker 6: Thank you so much, Minister Pattapod Taylor. Next up, deb Louther.
Speaker 3: Deb I had said earlier that that's Canada's near and
Speaker 3: dear to my heart, and now you are only about
Speaker 3: a mile.
Speaker 6: Away from me. You also live on the same street,
Speaker 6: in the same neighborhood our kids. This is a tight community.
Speaker 3: Our kids hang out together and when their parents are away,
Speaker 3: they party at their house and when we're away.
Speaker 6: I I don't like the idea of thinking about that.
Speaker 3: But Deb, why don't you come up and say a
Speaker 3: few words about some of the important things that you've
Speaker 3: you and Jim have done.
Speaker 10: Okay, Minister Fragier, PETAPAWT Taylor, MP Fisher and guests, Good afternoon.
Speaker 10: Thank you for being here today. As an organization whose
Speaker 10: sole purpose is to provide aid and comfort to Canadian
Speaker 10: Armed Forces and URCMP veterans who are homeless, at risk
Speaker 10: of becoming homeless, or otherwise in crisis, we could not
Speaker 10: be happier to be standing here today to talk about
Speaker 10: a veterans homelessness program. The process to get here was
Speaker 10: long and arduous, and I'm sure we drove Minister Fraser
Speaker 10: and his staff crazy along the way. Darren as well
Speaker 10: for that matter, And I'm glad you used the term
Speaker 10: pester because I will assure you that the only reason
Speaker 10: Darren and Darryl pestered you, folks, is because we were
Speaker 10: bordering on harassing him.
Speaker 9: So that's all on us.
Speaker 10: Jim and I never intended to start a national organization. However,
Speaker 10: in twenty ten we identified a gap in services and
Speaker 10: realized that veterans were slipping through the cracks while volunteering
Speaker 10: at a local Sunday supper for those less four fortunate,
Speaker 10: Jim encountered four veterans who were experiencing homelessness. In our
Speaker 10: efforts to find help for them, we discovered that, aside
Speaker 10: from Veterans Affairs Canada, there were no supports available specific
Speaker 10: to veterans. Having seen the problem, we couldn't unsee it
Speaker 10: and felt an obligation to do something. So we started
Speaker 10: a small grassroots movement here in Halifax, which quickly spread
Speaker 10: across the country and organically grew to become the Vets
Speaker 10: Canada that we are today. For a long time, we,
Speaker 10: along with Veterans Affairs, were the only organizations focused on
Speaker 10: veterans homelessness. Fast forward to twenty twenty four and a
Speaker 10: number of other groups have dipped their toes into the
Speaker 10: veterans homelessness pool, and the government has acknowledged the issue
Speaker 10: by launching this Veterans' Homelessness Program. So I'd say we've
Speaker 10: come a long way. I'd like to share what this
Speaker 10: funding means to us as an organization and more importantly,
Speaker 10: what it means to the veterans that we serve. For
Speaker 10: us as an organization, it means that we can continue
Speaker 10: to support veterans who have suffered and sacrificed so much
Speaker 10: for the rest of us. For the veterans we have
Speaker 10: their privilege to work with, it could mean the difference
Speaker 10: between life and death. For the veteran here in Nova
Speaker 10: Scotia who had been living on the streets and in
Speaker 10: encampments for six years, it means we've been able to
Speaker 10: get him into transitional housing with a solid plan for
Speaker 10: permanent housing on the horizon. For the veteran in Ontario,
Speaker 10: a single mother who was living in her van with
Speaker 10: her three children, it means she gets to keep her
Speaker 10: kids because she now has a safe, warm place to
Speaker 10: call home. For the young veteran in New Brunswick who
Speaker 10: was living in his car with his pregnant fiance, it
Speaker 10: means that they were able to bring their baby home
Speaker 10: from the hospital to a real home. These are just
Speaker 10: a few of the situations that we deal with across
Speaker 10: the country every day. There are hundreds more. Unfortunately, from
Speaker 10: the minute we signed our agreement with Infrastructure Canada near
Speaker 10: the end of June and we were given the green
Speaker 10: light to implement activities under our program, we hit the
Speaker 10: ground running and since that time we've already identified and
Speaker 10: supported thirty four veterans who are homes or on a
Speaker 10: trajectory to become homeless. One component of the Veterans Homelessness
Speaker 10: Program that is new to us is the ability to
Speaker 10: provide rent supplements. In the past, we've been able to
Speaker 10: help veterans with arrear's rent to avoid eviction, or we've
Speaker 10: been able to pay first month's rent and security deposit
Speaker 10: to help move a veteran into housing, but being able
Speaker 10: to provide ongoing supplements is a game changer. The housing
Speaker 10: prices and inflation have impacted all Canadians, and veterans are
Speaker 10: not exempt. Housing affordability has been an incredible barrier. Veterans
Speaker 10: who are paying more than thirty percent of their income
Speaker 10: on rent could be eligible for the rent supplement that
Speaker 10: we can now offer. In closing, I would like to
Speaker 10: thank the federal government, specifically Infrastructure Canada and Veterans Affairs
Speaker 10: Canada for launching the Veterans Homelessness Program and providing us
Speaker 10: the funds so that we can continue to have an
Speaker 10: impact on the issue of veterans homelessness in Canada. I
Speaker 10: would also like to thank you all again for being
Speaker 10: here and remind you that if you do know of
Speaker 10: a veteran who is homeless or at risk, please send
Speaker 10: them our way.
Speaker 9: That's what we're here for.
Speaker 6: Thanks so much, Deb really really appreciate that.
Speaker 3: Next up we're going to call upon doctor Belinda Seagram
Speaker 3: to deliver marks on behalf of Landing Strong.
Speaker 11: Good afternoon, mister Fraser, mister Pettipaw Taylor, m P Fisher,
Speaker 11: and members of our community. I'd like to take a
Speaker 11: minute to acknowledge the chair of our board, Sean Hascott,
Speaker 11: and a couple members of our dynamite team, The Deadbeat
Speaker 11: and Pam Turcott and Jen Wheeler wille And who are
Speaker 11: here today as well at Landing Strong. We are absolutely
Speaker 11: thrilled to be the recipients of funds which will allow
Speaker 11: us to tackle such a real and pressing issue facing
Speaker 11: our veteran community. Landing Strong is a non profit organization
Speaker 11: dedicated to sporting veterans and first responders. Our facilities and
Speaker 11: clinically led programs are intended to provide a safe landing
Speaker 11: space for those who have been injured in service. Who
Speaker 11: can imagine that a Canadian military member or RCMP officer
Speaker 11: and their family might be facing housing and food insecurity
Speaker 11: following a life of service to country. This is a
Speaker 11: reality for many.
Speaker 6: When somebody is.
Speaker 11: Living with PTSD or other operational stress injuries, they already
Speaker 11: feel isolated and alone. Home is their safe place. Imagine
Speaker 11: if this did not exist for them, how can recovery
Speaker 11: possibly happen when the basics of food and housing are
Speaker 11: not guaranteed. The infrastructure CANDA grant will allow us to
Speaker 11: ensure that those who have served are now being taken
Speaker 11: care of. No one is left behind, no one is
Speaker 11: left out in the cold. Since our inception in twenty eighteen,
Speaker 11: we've had over two hundred veterans and verse responders coming
Speaker 11: through our intensive programs were located in Windsor Nova, Scotia.
Speaker 11: We have virtual programs and we have people driving across
Speaker 11: the province to come to participate. On average, people would
Speaker 11: do about one hundred and fifty to one hundred and
Speaker 11: seventy five hours of programming as part of their recovery.
Speaker 11: Plant might be over the course of a year, and
Speaker 11: as they get stronger and have a firm foundation under
Speaker 11: their feet, they might transition to some more community based participation,
Speaker 11: so Landing strong. Our goal is to provide a safe
Speaker 11: place and community for those on the journey of recovery.
Speaker 11: People call us. There is no wait list. We don't
Speaker 11: ask them are you funded. If you call us and
Speaker 11: you meet our mandate, our doors are open for you.
Speaker 11: With a safety net in place, allowing stability in terms
Speaker 11: of basic needs, injured veterans will be able to access
Speaker 11: our intensive dat creatment programs at a pace and a
Speaker 11: level that's comfortable for them. It's hard to talk about
Speaker 11: one's injuries and process past trauma if there's uncertainty about
Speaker 11: where to sleep or how to feed the family. With
Speaker 11: these funds, we can remove that level of concern, allowing
Speaker 11: people to immerse themselves in an unimpeded journey of recovery
Speaker 11: and self care. We are so unbelievably grateful for the
Speaker 11: support from both Veterans Affairs and housing, infrastructure and communities.
Speaker 11: Thank you so much for believing in us and investing
Speaker 11: in our veterans and our first responders.
Speaker 6: Thank you, thank you so very much. Doctor Seagram.
Speaker 3: You know, I look in the room around the room,
Speaker 3: and I think about how great things are when you're
Speaker 3: when the people in the room choose to do good.
Speaker 3: This room is filled with people who have chosen to
Speaker 3: do good. Blinda to you and your your group, your
Speaker 3: your boored hiss. Nice to see you, Sorry, mister Hiscott,
Speaker 3: nice to see you here today in Dartmouth, your old
Speaker 3: hometown you grew up less than a while from here.
Speaker 3: That's Canada dead, Ben Jim, your whole group. You choose
Speaker 3: to do good and you do amazing things. Whether it's
Speaker 3: the nearly thousand or maybe over a thousand volunteers across
Speaker 3: the country, it's amazing what we can do when we're
Speaker 3: surrounded by people who choose to do good.
Speaker 1: Okay, final thoughts, Ward in itself is bad enough. It
Speaker 1: I It is a devastating thing and it okay. Mass destruction,
Speaker 1: uh loss, huge losses of life on both sides until
Speaker 1: we as human beings, decide to sit down and talk
Speaker 1: out our differences. It's like the thing of it is
Speaker 1: is is it doesn't matter who win or lost the war.
Speaker 1: What does matter is the loss of life. They could
Speaker 1: have been prevented by simply talking out our differences. When
Speaker 1: we look at different areas in the world, we look
Speaker 1: at Ukraine, we look at Gaza, we look at some
Speaker 1: of the things that have happened in Syria that these
Speaker 1: r recent events of These deaths are totally preventable. They
Speaker 1: didn't have to happen. The the the buildings didn't have
Speaker 1: to be blown up, the with with people inside of them,
Speaker 1: the that the shells didn't have to fall from the sky,
Speaker 1: the drones didn't have to have to travel around the
Speaker 1: planet with with missiles and stuff. The these are totally
Speaker 1: preventable deaths. Politics is in the end about talking to
Speaker 1: each other. That is what we elect these people to do.
Speaker 1: Is to talk, is to work out policy, not send
Speaker 1: people abroad to kill or to be killed. The devastating
Speaker 1: effects of having taken a life affects these brave men
Speaker 1: and women who we're now finding on the streets. It
Speaker 1: isn't natural for another human being to kill another human being.
Speaker 1: It is traumatic and causes extreme stress. So why don't
Speaker 1: we put it to our politicians to find peaceful ways
Speaker 1: to negotiate our differences, to use words instead of bullets,
Speaker 1: to use sanctions instead of bombs, and to sit at
Speaker 1: the negotiating table until it's figured out. We don't need war.
Speaker 1: We need a better way to settle our differences. Thank
Speaker 1: you for listening to policy and right today I've been
Speaker 1: your host. Michael kloggs. Please find a subscribe button wherever
Speaker 1: it is. Give us some support, you know we need
Speaker 1: to be able to keep pushing out the government to
Speaker 1: find love and peace in our world. The show has
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