Canada Told to Stop Failing Its Children

Toronto, Nov. 23, 2011 – The Canadian government keeps failing to help children and families living on low-income, according to Campaign 2000's 20th Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada. Over two decades after the unanimous resolution in the House of Commons to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000, Canadian families are still waiting to see sustained action from the federal government on its commitment to ensure economic security for all children across Canada.

The 2011 Report Card, Revisiting Family Security in Insecure Times, explores child poverty, the conditions it creates, and the issues faced by families living on low-income. The report finds that the number of children living in poverty has only decreased by 20% in 20 years. With 639,000 children still living in poverty, proactive social policies will need to be introduced and implemented immediately if Canada is to avoid an increase in the depth and rate of poverty.

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Federal Funds Vital to Social Health

Op-Ed published in Toronto Star, July 19, 2011
By Laurel Rothman and Megan Yarema

The Premiers’ meeting taking place later this month in Vancouver provides a vital opportunity to deal seriously with critical issues related to the Canada Social Transfer (CST) and the Canada Health Transfer (CHT) – two major federal funding programs that touch the lives of all Canadians.

The CST supports the provinces and territories in their efforts to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty in Canada. Services for children, including early childhood education and care, and income support programs for economically vulnerable people, certainly rely on federal funding to accompany provincial or territorial money. The CST support for post-secondary education, delivered by colleges and universities, helps to develop Canada’s talent pool and prepare our young people for the labour market. Publicly-funded and delivered health care services – like your family doctor, the local hospital and community health centre, depend on predictable funding from the CHT (note that health care analysts credit the current CHT agreement with shorter waiting times for high-demand surgery and achieving improved access to health care services). Read full article

Poverty and Inequality: Opposition Gets It but Government Doesn’t

Toronto, June 6: Today’s federal budget ignores the fact that poverty and inequality are a major drag on the economy and makes no proposal to do anything about it, says Campaign 2000.

This budget promises to accelerate deficit reduction and we worry about what this means for vulnerable people. There are no income supports that will prevent further poverty or reduce our 9.1% rate of child and family poverty. This budget is silent on early childhood education and care services and affordable housing. Nor is there any enhancement to the child benefit which low income working parents need to enable them to pay the rent and feed the children. Who says this is responsible management of the economy?” said Laurel Rothman, National Coordinator of Campaign 2000. Read full press release

Three out of four cross-Canada parties commit to reduce poverty; Conservatives ignore Poverty Reduction and Inequality

Toronto, April 28– Citing the persistence of poverty and growing gap between the rich and poor across Canada, national anti-poverty coalition Campaign 2000 today expressed satisfaction that three out of four parties have committed to a poverty reduction plan.

“We do know how to reduce and eradicate poverty – northern European countries have child and family poverty rates below 5%, without sacrificing vibrant economic growth or prosperity. Those countries invest in people throughout the life cycle and everyone in society benefits. In Canada, the majority of provinces have adopted or are all working on poverty reduction plans. But the missing link is an active federal government role,” said Sid Frankel, University of Manitoba and Social Planning Council of Winnipeg. “That’s why this federal election is so important – we need Canada’s next federal government to commit to a plan to reduce poverty levels by at least 25% over the next 5 years and enshrine that in legislation.”
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NDP moves quickly to comprehensively address poverty for all Canadians

Toronto, April 10: The NDP has shown that it understands how poverty is a drag on the economy as well as the root cause of health, social and justice problems, thus affecting all Canadians. 
The specific commitments to increasing the child tax benefit by $700. per child, to more community-based child care services in the first year and to increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors in the first budget lifting every senior out of poverty will make a concrete and significant difference in the daily lives of many families in Canada. 

“With more than 3 million people living in poverty, including one in ten children and their families, it is imperative that Canada’s leaders address this pressing issue.  This platform is the only one to recommend an increase to the child tax benefit, the most powerful lever that we have to reduce the number of children and families in poverty and to reduce the depth of poverty for tens of thousands of families across Canada. The Job Creation Tax Credit along with the re-introduction of the federal minimum wage will send a very important signal to Canadians, to small businesses and to the provinces and territories about the importance of good jobs with decent wages.  The recommended improvements to EI, including elimination of the two-week waiting period, revising the qualifying period and raising the rate of benefits to 60 percent would make a tremendous difference for people who struggle to pay the rent and feed their children,” said Laurel Rothman, National Coordinator of Campaign 2000. 

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ALL-PARTY POVERTY FORUM OFFERS PRE-ELECTION INSIGHT
PARTICPATE IN PERSON OR ONLINE MARCH 17, 2011 TORONTO, March 15, 2011

Representatives of Canada’s leading political parties will participate in a community discussion on reducing poverty at a public forum in the Town of Ajax, east of Toronto, this Thursday afternoon. The forum, which will be moderated by Carol Goar of The Toronto Star, is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. EDT at the Ajax Town Hall Council Chambers, 65 Harwood Ave. S.
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Watch and listen to the forum discussions on YouTube.
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Canada needs a national child-care policy

By Laurel Rothman, Katherine Scott and Martha Friendly 
Article published in the National Post, Feb. 11, 2011

As Canada gears up for a possible federal election, child care has roared back onto the public agenda. Tuning into the media on child care last week was a strangely déjà-vu experience. Is this 2011 or are we back in the run-up to the 2006 federal election? The public discourse on childcare has not changed in the past five years; but, regrettably, while this sterile and shopworn debate is playing out in the media and Parliament, another generation of families and children are the losers.
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Campaign 2000 and Partners Released 2010 Report Cards on Child/Family Poverty

Post date: Nov. 24, 2010

Poverty Eradication Key to Canada’s Economic Recovery

Canada’s economic recovery hinges on federal leadership to pull recession victims out of the poor house and prevent Canadians from plunging into deeper poverty, says Campaign 2000’s new report card on child and family poverty.

Reduced Poverty = Better Health for All looks at the nation’s most recent child and family poverty rate compared to 21 years ago, when Parliament unanimously resolved to end child poverty by 2000, and finds that 610,000 children (2008 LICO after-tax) and their families lived in poverty even before the recession hit. 

Read National Report Card in English or French

Read full press release in English or French

Provincial Report Cards on Child and Family Poverty were also released today in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan

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The Power of Taxes: The Case for Investing in Canadians

Post date: October 29, 2010

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternative just released "The Power of Taxes: The Case for Investing in Canadians" - a paper highlighting how tax-funded services make most Canadians richer in way that are never reflected in our bank accounts. Read full paper

Laurel Rothman's Letter in response to Oct. 13 Globe article: Ottawa signals slowdown in provincial payouts and Bernier’s plan to shrink federal government Tweet

Dear editor:

We read that Finance Minister Flaherty knows that the rate of inflation and economic growth will be modest so he wants to cut back federal transfers to the provinces for social programs, health and education. But, does he know that the rate of poverty and inequality remains persistently high? Most recent statistics (2008) show that more than 3 million people, including over 610,000 children, lived in poverty even before the recession took its toll.

The gap between the rich and the poor has grown more in Canada during the last decade than any other OECD nation except Germany. We can safely and sadly predict that more have fallen into poverty since 2008. They are finding it tougher to climb out because support from public programs like EI and social assistance is far thinner than in economic upheavals of the early 1980s or 1990s.

The labour market is hardly robust. People are resorting to food banks in greater numbers than ever and the homeless remain far too present in our cities and towns. We are very concerned that just as most provinces have stepped up to address poverty reduction in a serious way, the federal government seems set to reduce its participation in the crucial health and social transfers. Research clearly demonstrates that the health of people with low incomes is invariably worse than that of people with higher incomes.

Economists estimate that we could save more than $7 billion in annual health expenditures if poverty were reduced. The social cost of poverty is far too great to ignore. Mr. Flaherty, think of well-developed, accountable transfers to the provinces and territories as a stimulus to the health of our nation. We would all benefit from that.

Regards,

Laurel Rothman
National Coordinator, Campaign 2000 & Director of Social Reform, Family Service Toronto

Winnipeg Roundtable on How to Make Canada Poverty Free

On August 4, 2010, Campaign 2000 and the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg and, in collaboration with Council of Canadians with Disabilities and Canadian Council on Social Development is hosting a roundtable discussion to finalize a consensus document on what the Council of the Federation should do to eradicate poverty throughout Canada.

 The Winnipeg Roundtable will include representatives from business, labour, faith groups, and civil society groups.  Members of Parliament from the Liberal, NDP and Bloc Québécois took up an all-party invitation to attend.  The roundtable participants will be presented with a document titled “The Winnipeg Statement” This document is a comprehensive strategy for poverty eradication and calls for government leaders to demonstrate commitment and to work together to eradicate poverty in Canada during the next decade.  Read more >>

Fight Poverty to Spur Recovery 

Published on Sat Jul 24 2010 in the Toronto Star
By Laurel Rothman and Trish Hennessy

Two years ago, most Canadians were enjoying the peak of a 10-year economic growth phase that helped rank Canada among the 10 biggest economies on the planet. Then, in the fall of 2008, the global economic meltdown came crashing down on Canada, knocking hundreds of thousands of workers into unemployment. According to Statistics Canada, child poverty in this country stood at 9 per cent in 2008 — down slightly from 9.4 per cent the previous year but certainly no harbinger of what was to come. Read full article

New Poverty Figures Show Poverty Eradication Must Be Part of Recession Recovery

Toronto (June 17, 2010) – New data from Statistics Canada show that 9 per cent of children in Canada lived in poverty in 2008, down slightly from 9.4% in 2007. These distressing statistics should provide the catalyst for our MPs to take action and make sure that ending poverty is Spart of Canada’s recovery recession plan. “It is unacceptable that in one of the richest countries of the world, more than 600,000 children – about 1 in 10 - are growing up in poverty. It’s important to remember that the reality for many Canadians living in poverty since the recession hit here in 2008 has yet to show up in the numbers, as our national statistical agency is always two years behind in reporting Canada’s income data,” said Laurel Rothman, National Coordinator of Campaign 2000.

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Women and children still last: No thank you, Mr. Flaherty!

Toronto (March 4, 2010) – This federal budget doesn’t even remotely make a dent in Canada’s abysmal rate of child and family poverty. The Throne Speech claims that “Canada is the best place in the world to raise a family.” Sorry, Mr. Prime Minister, Canada is nowhere near the podium! says Campaign 2000, the national coalition of over 120 partners working to end child and family poverty in Canada. There is no new support for our most vulnerable families – especially the 637,000 low income children and their mothers – who feel the double burden of job loss at the workplace and at home.

“Going into this budget, Campaign 2000 looked for a mix of social infrastructure and income supports to prevent further poverty and to reduce our 9.5% rate of child and family poverty. We were looking for expanded eligibility for EI, increases to worker tax credits and the Canada Child Tax Benefit along with public expenditures on social infrastructure including early childhood education and child care services (ECEC) and social housing,” said Laurel Rothman, National Coordinator. “But this budget contains none of these measures.”

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Poverty Reduction Key to Canada’s Economic Recovery

OTTAWA (Nov. 24, 2009) – Canada’s economic recovery hinges on federal leadership to pull recession victims out of the poor house and prevent Canadians from plunging into deeper poverty, hunger and homelessness, says Campaign 2000’s new report card on child and family poverty.

Keep the Promise: Make Canada Poverty-Free looks at the nation’s most recent child and family after-tax poverty rate compared to 20 years ago, when Parliament unanimously resolved to end child poverty by 2000, and finds today’s after-tax rate is 9.5 per cent, a slight budge from 11.9 per cent in 1989. Read full release

Ontario Government Moves Forward on Early Learning

Toronto (Oct 27, 2009) - Ontario Campaign 2000 welcomes today’s announcement that the Ontario government will begin to start phasing in full day learning for 4 and 5 year olds this September.

“We’re pleased to see the Ontario government has kept its important election commitment to early learning, and the promised investment of $500 million over the next 2 years. Access to high quality early learning and child care benefits children and is an important pathway out of poverty for low income families,” said Jacquie Maund, Coordinator of Ontario Campaign 2000. Read full release

Ontario Pointed in the Right Direction on Early Learning

Campaign 2000 (17 Jun 09) - Ontario Campaign 2000 welcomes the recommendations of the Pascal report on full-day learning for 4 and 5 year olds in Ontario.

“Our work on child and family poverty highlights the importance of a universal system of affordable early education and care as a key component of an effective poverty reduction strategy. We welcome this report which outlines a plan to ensure 4 and 5 year olds are entitled to a full day Early Learning Program as part of a seamless and integrated system for children aged 0-12 and their families. We are pleased that the first phase includes low income neighbourhoods in support of the goals of Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy” said Jacquie Maund, Coordinator, Ontario Campaign 2000. Read full release

Child poverty rate drops significantly but BC still worst of any province

BC's First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition (17 Jun 09) - British Columbia’s child poverty rate fell significantly in 2007 -- still the worst of any province, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday.

An analysis of the latest figures by First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition, showed a drop in the BC child poverty rate from 16.5 percent in 2006 to 13 percent in 2007. The number of poor BC children dropped from 137,000 in 2006 to 108,000 in 2007.

The rate in 2007 was the lowest for the province since 1991. Read full release

Campaign 2000 presents to federal government on 2009 pre-budget consultation

Campaign 2000 ( 7 Jan 09) - The Case for a Poverty Reduction Strategy for Canada: Why Poverty Reduction is key to Canada’s short, medium and long-term economic health

Family Security in Insecure Times: Poverty Reduction as Poverty Prevention

This brief offers recommendations to the federal government for the budget to be released on January 27, 2009.

As Canada enters into a period of economic insecurity, it is even more crucial for our governments to focus on those individuals, families and communities who are already vulnerable and will feel the greatest impact. Adopting a Poverty Reduction Strategy for Canada, including additional public investments in the social security of Canadian families, is a logical and essential component of fiscal stimulus at this critical time. Nearly two decades after the unanimous 1989 House of Commons resolution to end child poverty in Canada, 760,000 children and their families – almost 1 child out of every 9 – still live in poverty when measured after income taxes. The rate of child and family poverty in Canada was essentially the same in 2006 as it was in 1989 despite an unprecedented period of strong economic growth since 1996. There have been cyclical variations, reflecting recessions and recoveries, but the high rate of child and family poverty has remained tenacious. This figure does not include the shameful situation of First Nations’ communities where 1 in every 4 children is growing up in poverty. Read full release

Release of 2008 Ontario Report Card on Child Poverty in Toronto

Toronto (21 Nov 08) – Ontario Campaign 2000 just released the 2008 Report Card on Child & Family Poverty in Ontario on Friday November 21 at the Queen’s Park Media Studio in Toronto.

The report is being released on the 19th anniversary of the unanimous House of Commons resolution to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000.

Titled ”Now more than ever… Ontario needs a strong poverty reduction strategy”, the report includes the latest statistics on child and family poverty in Ontario, and recommendations for the government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy due for release next month. Read full release