Exemption rates too low: Bell
Human Services department reviewing social assistance
A recommendation from elementary school children to have the red fox named P.E.I.’s provincial animal turned into accusations of vindictive politics in the legislative assembly Tuesday.
Independent MLA Bush Dumville called a bill to the floor Tuesday night that would see the red fox adopted as P.E.I.’s animal emblem.
Dumville told the media he expected the debate to be short.
Instead, Vernon River-Stratford MLA Alan McIsaac introduced an amendment to make the Holstein cow the province’s animal.
Dumville said McIsaac had mentioned the amendment to him before the debate started.
“I thought it was kind of a joke,” Dumville said.
It wasn’t a joke at all and McIsaac talked at great length on the floor of the house about the Holstein cow as he made his pitch for why it should be considered as the emblem.
That’s where the accusations of the Liberals playing politics came in.
The idea to name the fox as the emblem came from a Grade 5-6 class from Montague Consolidated School and students who presented to a legislative committee in October.
The committee supported the idea at the time and recommended the change.
Dumville said it was hard to know the motivation for the amendment, but he thought it would be a normal matter to have the bill pass and it seemed like a reasonable request.
“I’m surprised. I’m shocked,” he said.
Everybody was on side with the idea when the students presented it, Dumville said.
“I can’t really say if this is something to get back at me for leaving caucus or not.”
That’s exactly what Opposition MLA Matthew MacKay accused the Liberals of doing. He noted Liberals were on the committee that heard the students’ presentation in October.
“To come in and make a complete fool out of them and of the bill — you should be ashamed.”
MacKay said if the Liberals have a problem with someone who left their caucus and want to “take a run at him” there is a time and a place for that, but the debate of the bill wasn’t it.
“It’s an all-time low. These kids right now, they worked awful hard and deserve to be treated a lot better than this,” he said.
Speaking to the media, Opposition Leader James Aylward said it should have been a simple piece of legislation to move forward.
“Yet it just seems like there was some kind of vendetta that was put forward and again, I’m aghast at what happened tonight,” he said.
McIsaac told reporters he thinks the matter should go to the public and he didn’t think picking just one animal was right.
“Everybody may come forward with a differing opinion and that’s fine. That’s what democracy is about. Let’s have a debate on it is basically what we’re saying,” he said.
He also denied there were any political motivations behind his amendment.
MLAs did not vote on the amendment before Dumville adjourned debate.
Green MLA Hannah Bell said it’s time to stop punishing people for not having money, and for government to step up and protect the Island’s most vulnerable.
During question period Tuesday, Bell talked about the issues and problems surrounding social assistance on P.E.I., and said the province has the lowest financial asset exemption levels in the country.
In other words, clients on P.E.I. seeking social assistance must liquidate all financial assets greater than $50, excluding items such as homes and vehicles, to be eligible to apply for short-term assistance. If they are seeking long-term assistance, they must liquidate any assets greater than $200.
Bell said the requirements applicants must adhere to require them to be “utterly destitute” before they can apply for social assistance.
“Only being allowed $50 is incredibly punitive and not very practical,” Bell told The Guardian following question period. “It’s about respect and dignity. We have to stop punishing people for being poor. People are not liabilities.”
In Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, the exemption rate is $1,000, and Bell asked Family and Human Services Minister Tina Mundy if the government will commit to increasing the Island’s rate to at least the same level.
Mundy said when she was appointed to the position two years ago, reviews were done on all social programs, and the department is currently looking into the social assistance program.
“(We) are currently undertaking a collaborative, comprehensive review of our social assistance program,” she said. “We will be rolling out some details in the coming weeks and the coming months.”
When it comes to caring for Islanders “who have less than most”, Mundy said the recent budget was “historic”, as it included free tuition for lowincome Island students, an increased shelter budget and $17 million investment in housing over the next two years.
“We are working very hard with clients facing multiple barriers … we deal with them in a compassionate and caring way,” she said. “We believe in the power and potential of every human being, and ending poverty is going to start with seeing the potential and power in people.”
Mundy didn’t indicate what the changes to the social assistance program might be or when they will be released.
“When we have details, I would be pleased to stand in the house and release those,” she said, adding there’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes.