Paige LeClair
This past June the House of Commons adopted Private Member’s Motion M-225’s. Introduced by Neil Ellis, member of parliament Bay of Quinte, M-225 calls on the federal government to take action and set a goal to end Veteran homelessness.
“I deeply appreciate the work of my honourable colleagues in the House for standing together to support and better serve our veterans and their families. It means so much to witness M-225’s successful adoption by the House of Commons on June 13, 2019,” said Ellis.
“It is vital that Canadians recognize the importance of housing as a key stabilizing factor for veterans and their families,” said Ellis. “Like any of us, veterans and their family members are best able to reach for meaningful purpose in their post-service lives if they have safe, affordable, and needs-specific housing already in place.” Neil Ellis, member of parliament Bay of Quinte
The motion comes after the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs published a unanimous report to end Veteran Homelessness.
“I am humbled at the passing of this motion in the House today and look forward to working toward ending this issue. One homeless veteran in Canada is one too many,” said MP Ellis.
The motion includes that the federal government should set a goal to prevent and end Veteran homelessness in Canada by 2025.
“It is vital that Canadians recognize the importance of housing as a key stabilizing factor for veterans and their families,” said Ellis. “Like any of us, veterans and their family members are best able to reach for meaningful purpose in their post-service lives if they have safe, affordable, and needs-specific housing already in place.”
It is reported that there are 3,000 – 5,000 homeless Veterans across Canada and Veterans represent 5 percent of all homeless persons in the country.
MP Ellis is passionate about this motion and is planning to continue to push the problem forward.
“I have always had a strong appreciation for our military personnel. My riding, the Bay of Quinte, has one of the highest Veteran populations, and is home to the largest Air Force Base in Canada,” said Ellis. “When I was elected in 2015, I hired a veteran on my staff. It has been such a benefit to have Skip on staff to assist active military members and veterans. Veterans are more likely to open up to other veterans who understand their situations first-hand, which is why hiring a veteran has done so much good for our riding.”
Currently, there are organizations that are in place to help Veterans who are at-risk, but most solutions are only temporary due to funding, or too many people requiring their service.
Ellis is hoping the federal government will develop an action plan to be presented to the House of Commons by June 2020.
