For Immediate Release
1 November 2023
NDP Leader, Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre), is publicly publishing the following questions to the Liberal Government after he was notified he will not be able to speak in the House of Assembly.
“While the housing crisis continues across the province, I was not able to ask the following questions to the Liberal Government today in the House of Assembly:”
1. A constituent of the Member for St. John’s Centre deliberately broke the conditions of his release/parole so he would end up back in jail. Despite the horrible conditions at HMP, the constituent prefers to be in jail because he is warm, has food, and has a place to lay his head. He refused bail because there are no supports to get housing, food and shelter. I ask the Premier, is this is government’s emergency housing strategy?
2. A former inmate and a former student of mine residing at tent city on the side of the parkway also talked about how he knew the path back to jail. It was familiar to him. He most wanted a place he could call his own, something that he could cling to and provide him a path forward that would help him on his path to rehabilitation. I ask the Premier, what are you doing to give constituents like this and other young people hope for their futures in this province?
3. The Minister of Children Seniors and Social Development encourages people who are experiencing homelessness to look at “our” shelters where wraparound supports are offered and hopefully help ease them into housing units. One thing was abundantly clear from talking to those living on the parkway. They did not want shelters and feared their own physical, mental, and emotional health and addictions recovery would be jeopardized. I ask the minister why he would encourage people to go to shelters when those very shelters were the reasons people chose to live in tents in the first place?
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For further information, contact Eddy St. Coeur, Director of Communications, NDP Caucus at 729-2137 (o), or eddystcoeur@gov.nl.ca