No matter where you live in Canada, the minimum wage does not bring a full-time, year-round minimum wage worker up to the poverty line.
In 2006, 2.1 million workers across Canada - full and part-time - were low wage workers earning less than $10/hour.
Working poor parents are stuck behind a "low wage wall" in poorly paid jobs with few, if any, benefits or opportunities for education, training and advancement.
Almost 2 out of every 5 jobs - 37% - are considered "precarious", that is part-time, temporary, contract or self-employed. These jobs are unlikely to provide families with health and dental benefits or pensions.
2007 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada
The August 4th Roundtable on Poverty Eradication, sponsored by Campaign 2000 and the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg in collaboration with the Council of Canadians with Disabilities and Canadian Council on Social Development ratified the Winnipeg Statement: The Provincial and Territorial Road to Poverty Reduction, which Premier Greg Selinger, Chair of the Council of the Federation, received on Aug. 5.
Video clip capturing part of the Aug. 4th Roundtable on Poverty Eradication, produced by our partner, the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg.
The roundtable, with many participants from across Canada, represents a wide range of groups, including low-income communities, labour, business, women’s groups, people with disabilities, Aboriginal communities, faith communities, recent immigrants, lone parents and others, and more than 25 participants from across Canada participated by webinar (combination of conference call and online access through computers). We were very pleased that Senator Art Eggleton and M.P.s Mike Savage (Liberal, Dartmouth-Cole Harbour), Tony Martin (NDP, Sault Ste. Marie) and Yves Lessard Bloc Québécois, Chambly—Borduas) joined the roundtable discussion in Winnipeg on strategies to move toward a poverty-free Canada. This roundtable was held on the eve of the Council of the Federation’s annual meeting which Manitoba hosted. The roundtable provided an opportunity for dialogue among levels of government, civil society and Aboriginal organizations.
Despite some complications with the technology of the webinar, a robust discussion was held and participants across Canada re-affirmed the importance of strong and appropriate public policies and funding by the federal, provincial and territorial governments as essential to eradicating poverty in Canada.
The communiqué of the Council of the Federation is encouraging. For the first time since Campaign 2000 began its annual communication with the Premiers in 1997, the Council of the Federation explicitly cites poverty.
The August 5 statement says “Premiers will also continue to promote sustained economic recovery by fostering a culture of innovation, encouraging continued private sector investments, removing barriers to economic development, expanding trade, strengthening Canada’s labour market, and reducing poverty.” Read more
Collectively we’ve put poverty on the radar screen of the premiers! Thanks to all who participated. We look forward to continued work together to achieve progress.
Special thanks to Jonathan Perkins of the Leadwell Foundation and Martin Itzkow of face2face for their invaluable technical leadership.
La lutte continue!
Read a selection of media clippings covering the event
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