Letter as submitted

Why are councillors asked to choose between housing and greenspace? And why is the choice made all the more difficult because the housing was to be provided by Habitat for Humanity? The answer is because successive Federal governments have eliminated our national housing programs.

It's hard to remember but before Brian Mulroney, there wasn't a homelessness problem in Canada. And neither Chretien nor Martin have shown any inclination to deal with the issue. Despite years of budget surpluses, the Liberals, like the Tories before them, see nothing wrong with tens of thousands of Canadians living without a roof over their heads.

And what of the Provincial Liberal's election promises to build new affordable housing? They didn't promise to build nearly enough, but is even this promise postponed because their priority is the deficit?

Sometime this year there will be a Federal election. Will your candidate do something about homelessness? Will Liberal promises vanish into oblivion like their pledge to end child poverty by the year 2000?

I feel a great deal of sympathy for those families who won't be getting their homes. I hope every one of them will be active, demanding that the Liberal governments act immediately to end the homelessness crisis.

Gary Dale
West Hill, ON