Fierce criticism erupted when the government of Saskatchewan sent two homeless men to B.C. They were given one-way bus tickets to Vancouver and Victoria by the province’s social services ministry, and basically shown the door. One of the men reportedly has epilepsy.
Officials in Regina are clearly embarrassed by the blow-back, and a review of procedures is underway. But callous, and indeed disgraceful, as this incident was, it is merely the tip of an iceberg.
Last year in B.C., almost one in seven new income-assistance recipients came from elsewhere in Canada. More than half — 1,561 out of 3,100 — arrived from Alberta. Saskatchewan was also high on the list, although every province in the country contributed.
Both Premier Christy Clark and Housing Minister Rich Coleman took the high road when questioned.
“Wherever they are in Canada … if they decide to come to British Columbia, we’re going to support them,” Clark said. And Coleman noted that Canadians have the right to live in any province they choose.
Yet staff who run homeless shelters in Victoria and Vancouver report unmanageable demands for accommodation. There is a strong sense, in both cities, that resources are stretched to the breaking point.
The migration from the prairies is due no doubt to hard times in the oil patch. But every region of the country is confronted with economic difficulties that could get worse before they get better.
The question is what should be done. While humanely speaking it is our duty to help anyone in need, there is a practical issue to be faced.
It is unreasonable to fix on B.C., or any one province, the responsibility for dealing with a challenge that is national in scope.
In other fields, health care for example, the need to break down regional barriers has been recognized. A Victoria resident who falls ill in Ottawa will be treated there, no questions asked. And when the bill is sent to B.C., it is promptly paid.
A similar approach is long overdue in supporting the homeless and those who can’t find work. If unemployed Albertans move to B.C. and require income assistance, it seems reasonable to ask our neighbours to bear some of the cost.
There are two ways of approaching this. Health bills are paid through reciprocal agreements worked out between the provinces. That might offer a solution.
More likely, though, a national overlay will be needed. The provinces share health costs, in part, because the Canada Health Act gives every citizen a portable right to medical care. It is the moral and legal fabric of this statute, particularly the portability aspect, that creates the framework for co-operation.
Along the same lines, we need a nationally authorized benefit that the unemployed or homeless can take with them, funded by their home jurisdiction. Yes, this is a departure from tradition. And no doubt it will be resisted initially in poorer regions, whose governments might be happy to see out-of-work residents get up and leave.
But while no doubt there will be obstacles, this shouldn’t be mission impossible. Every part of the country has an equal interest in ensuring its citizens are properly treated. This can only be done if all provinces play a part.
Consider it nation-building — part of the unfinished business of bringing our country together. For Canadians are fair-minded, and expedience at the cost of what’s right offends us.
As well, there is a new administration in Ottawa, pledged to a kinder and more inclusive style of governing.
So let the premier and her ministers appeal to this larger audience. They have an unanswerable case to make.
