Conservative Party of Canada

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Addiction and homelessness are not moral failures.

Facebook · June 16, 2026

Addiction and homelessness are not moral failures.Watch the video on Facebook
Addiction and homelessness are not moral failures. The Kitchener encampment ruling highlighted a difficult reality: we don’t have enough housing or recovery services. It’s time to invest more in treatment and recovery, and less in managing addiction indefinitely.
What Kelly says in this video

Automatic transcript; it may contain small errors.

I'm going to start with you, Mr. Donais, thank you for coming and sharing your story. From one person who slept on the streets to another, the more people who talk about it, the more we'll make change in this country. I'm grateful for your courage and for you wanting to have a solution to what we're seeing here in this country. One thing I think that we haven't focused on yet today is how addictions is surrounding and homelessness and how it's a piece of the puzzle of what we're seeing in the country today. I know I have an encampment in Kitchener that was just ruled that they're going to stay because the housing needs to be provided, which you said is stifling progress. I agree with you, sir, but I talked, our office went and talked to 22 of those residents in that encampment, and of those 22, only one wasn't using. So I think a piece of that is recovery services addiction and focusing on your big, beautiful life on the other side of addiction. So can you just speak to how that transitional piece will help with focusing on recovery, stabilization and recovery for people trapped in addiction? So I think for me as well, addiction definitely played a part in my homelessness and recovery was a big part of ending that cycle, getting out of that cycle. I think the solution is not spending more money. I think if we spend money differently and we divert it towards the places it should go, there's a lot of seniors who just need a small rent supplement. If we spend money differently, we can divert money towards more things like addiction services. Right now, if in any major city in Canada, if you were to call whatever city services and say, hey, I want to go to rehab, those are months away, we need more wraparound supports and we need more pathways towards ending the behavior that causes homelessness.

More of Kelly's work

Facebook · June 17, 2026

Hate has no place in Waterloo Region. Thank you to everyone involved in the 5th Annual Snapshot of Hate for helping us better understand these challenges and work toward a more welcoming community for all. We will always remember the Afzaal family.

House of Commons · June 18, 2026

House of Commons

Thank you, Chair. Before I ask a couple of questions, I'd like to put a motion on notice for the committee. It reads: That, given that: homelessness, addiction and mental health challenges continue to have significant impacts on individuals, families and communities across … Read more

Canada; communities across the country continue to experience rising homelessness, ongoing substance use harms and increasing pressure on frontline services; the current approaches have not delivered the outcomes Canadians deserve; Canadians are demanding a renewed focus on prevention, early intervention, treatment, recovery, housing stability and community reintegration, with measurable outcomes that help individuals achieve long-term health, stability and independence; and it is important that federal investments support measurable outcomes, accountability and access to services that help Canadians achieve long-term recovery, stability and independence; the committee report to the House its recommendation that the Government of Canada: evaluate whether current approaches are achieving their intended outcomes and prioritize investments that demonstrate measurable results in treatment, recovery, housing stability, and long-term independence; and administer existing federal initiatives and funding commitments in a way that prioritizes: stronger access to treatment, recovery and mental health supports; expanded access to stable housing options, including transitional and supportive housing where appropriate; prevention and early interventions that reduce the risk of homelessness and substance use harms; measurable outcomes, accountability and long-term support for individuals seeking stability, recovery and independence; and collaboration among federal, provincial, territorial, municipal, indigenous and community partners to improve outcomes for Canadians affected by homelessness, addiction and related social challenges. Thank you, Chair.

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