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Canadian Parliament commits to a federal poverty elimination plan, CSC marks historic anniversary on November 24

Yesterday, on November 24th, the federal government committed to a federal plan for the elimination of poverty. Recognizing that the 1989 goal of eliminating poverty by the year 2000 has not been met, the Government of Canada will develop a plan with input from those affected by poverty. This is a major step toward the first goal of Dignity for All: The Campaign for a Poverty-free Canada - a comprehensive and integrated federal poverty elimination plan with measures to address critical issues such as income security, employment insurance, early childhood development, education and training, and social supports.

November 24th marked the 20th anniversary of the House of Commons 1989 unanimous resolution to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000. While poverty has been reduced, poverty is far from being eliminated in Canada. The motion introduced yesterday came about due to the leading efforts of Laurel Rothman and her team at Campaign 2000 and the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA).

Penny Rowe (CEO of Community Services Council) discusses the 2009 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty

Also on the anniversary, Campaign 2000 released their annual Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada. Penelope Rowe, CEO of Community Services Council Newfoundland and Labrador, spoke about the report card at MacMorran Community Centre in St. John's. This year's report offered some sobering facts about child poverty in Canada including:

• 1 in 10 children in Canada still lives in poverty (using the Low Income Cutoff measure). First Nations children, have a rate of 1 in every 4 growing up in poverty.
• Between 2002 and 2007, more than (28.7%) children in Canada lived in a low-income family for at least one year. At the same time, 11% of all children in Canada lived in poverty for 4-6 years, a substantial portion of their childhoods.
• Paid work does not assure a pathway out of poverty; more than 4 in every 10 low-income children have a parent who works full-time throughout the year
• The average low income family lives far below the poverty line. Low income two parent families would, on average, need an additional $9,400/year to bring their income up to the poverty line (LICO-Before Tax). Female lone parent families would need an additional $9,600/year.

Download highlights from the CSC press release here, as well, read VOCMs report on the release of the report card. The complete report card is available from The Campaign 2000 website.

After discussion about the report card, Vibrant Communities St. John's screened Four Feet Up, a documentary about the experience of living in poverty from the perspective of an 8-year old boy. The movie made personal the cold statistics of child poverty in Canada.

L-R: Myrtle Mitchell (Eric & McKay Tenants Association), Penny Rowe (CEO of Community Services Council) and Bethany Pretty (Neighbourhood Supporter for Vibrant Communities)

The Vibrant Neighbourhood of Eric & McKay have benefited from their participation in the network - from leadership building with the capaCITIES course, to increased support for community programs. The Eric and McKay Neighbourhood Centre is a non-profit tenants’ association of volunteers whose main objective is to implement structured ongoing activities for the youth in the neighbourhood of Eric and McKay streets. Last night, Eric and McKay held their first annual Christmas fundraiser, which featured a dinner followed by stage hypnotist, Gary Summers. Penny Rowe kicked off the event, congratulating the Eric & McKay neighbourhood for their spirit and determination in making their neighbourhood a better place for its residents. After dinner, Gary Summers entertained the crowd with a fantastic show, with Ruth MacDonald, Vibrant Neighbourhoods Support Worker, as one of the hypnotized participants.

Gary Summers with Ruth MacDonald (Neighbourhoods Supporter for Vibrant Communities)

While progress on eliminating poverty in Canada has been slow, with the new commitment of a federal poverty elimination plan, the work of local initiatives like Vibrant Communities, and an increased commitment to poverty reduction by The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador - there is reason to be positive about future success in the elimination of poverty for all Canadians.

For more information about the effort to eliminate poverty in Canada, please visit Campaign 2000, and the Dignity for All Campaign.

Visit Vibrant Communities St. John's for the latest news on poverty reduction efforts happening in St. John's.

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