Increase Access to Child Benefit, Freeze Pharmacare Deductibles, Fund School Lunch Programs - QP
CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Nova Scotian families are struggling through a cost of living crisis, and this government has turned a blind eye. With record-breaking inflation this year, neither paycheques nor government supports have kept up.
A family making $45,000 a year is not eligible for the Nova Scotia Child Benefit. A family would have to make an annual income of under $34,000 a year - a family - to obtain this modest relief.
The Premier has repeatedly expressed concern about the rising cost of living. Increasing access to this benefit would offer needed support to families. Will the Premier commit to raising the income threshold and indexing the Child Benefit?
THE PREMIER « » : I do thank the member for this important question. Of course, I believe all members in here and certainly Nova Scotians know it would be unfair and inaccurate to say we've turned a blind eye.
Is there more to be done? Of course, there is more to be done. We'll continue to look for ways, but we have stepped up where we can help families. We've done that and we did that in quick order in a number of cases. We will continue to put Nova Scotians before politics. That's what matters to us.
We will look for sustainable ways to help Nova Scotians. We will never stop looking for ways to help Nova Scotians. We will never stop taking action where we can.
CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Families are falling through the cracks. We're offering solutions - and not answering the question is playing politics.
A mother from Halifax lamented that she can no longer afford a healthy diet for her son. Ben from Bayview says that he and his wife have to cut back on their own meals to make sure that their daughter won't go hungry. On top of this, the cost of medications means that many families are at a breaking point. A family making $45,000 a year with one dependant would have to pay $1,890 each year in deductibles under Family Pharmacare.
Mr. Speaker, these families are facing real intense pressure to put food on the table and to pay for medications. Will the Premier commit to freezing deductibles under Family Pharmacare so that kids in this province can eat and take their medication?
THE PREMIER « » : These are incredibly important questions, for sure. I just want to be clear with the member that not getting an answer is not the same as getting an answer you just don't like.
The reality is that as a government, we're taking action. We've taken action on the Child Tax Benefit. We're certainly working with the federal government on making sure that everyone has affordable child care. We will continue to look for ways to support Nova Scotians. We will never stop doing that. There will always be more to be done. There will never be a day when everything is done. We'll continue to look at it.
On the very specific question on Pharmacare, as we've indicated before in this Chamber, that's a program that is currently under review. We'll look for a way to see if we can make that better.
CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, the cost of groceries has gone up 11.4 per cent in the past 12 months. I'll table that. A universal school lunch program would offset grocery bills and ensure that children aren't going hungry at school. A recent report from the Auditor General found that some students would not eat for the entire day if the school did not provide them with food. I know that's true in my constituency and right across this province.
The same report recommended that government implement a universal lunch program. Although the government has agreed with this recommendation, we still don't know when or how this will happen.
My final question for the Premier is: Will he ensure that all children have access to healthy food by committing to funding implementation of a universal school lunch program in the next fiscal year?
THE PREMIER « » : Again, these are important issues, for sure. They're important to our government. They're important to Nova Scotians. There are a number of initiatives around the province to support children and provide food to children. Certainly, in specific cases, we'll try to do more.
The question on the universal lunch program is certainly one that we're very focused on. We're looking at what's possible there. We're looking at what we can do as a government to support those families and make sure that every child in this province has healthy food options; make sure that every child in this province has the opportunity for a good education. Those are our goals. We share those goals in this Chamber. We'll continue to look for ways to do that.