In April and May, Campaign 2000 steering committee members completed a brief paper focused on measuring poverty. Agreement on how to accurately measure poverty is central to the CPRS’ success and the credibility of targets and timelines. With no official income poverty line, debates about the rate and prevalence of poverty are too common in Canada.

For this reason, our measurement and data subcommittee was pleased to have the opportunity to present our brief and recommendations to the Honourable Jean Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and ESDC Economist in Residence, Dr. Miles Corak. Read our full brief, “Measuring Poverty, Meeting Targets” and an Addendum.

Post by MSW Student, Mallory Hilkewich

I read the article by Carol Goar quoting depressing sentiments about young people from MPP Julia Munro. While I feel a sense of optimism that issues of poverty and inequity affecting children and youth are being discussed, I fear the state of political will. As a young person I urge politicians to stop the rhetoric of youth incompetence and apathy, and start voicing belief and encouragement.

Campaign 2000 just came out with a national report card on Child & Family Poverty titled Let’s Do This: Let’s End Child Poverty for Good. A call to action is heralded in response to the new governments – platform promise to create a national anti-poverty plan. Yet the plan must be accompanied by thoughtful, targeted action.

As the report states, government must legislate change with a national Early Childhood Education and Care program, a comprehensive housing strategy and ensure the new Canada Child Benefit design reduces the child poverty rate by 50% in 5 years.

Government should take seriously the fact that nationwide nearly 1 in 5 children live in poverty. Toronto itself has eight ridings with child poverty rates over 30%. And disturbingly, entrenched poverty on First Nation reserves and systemic discrimination have created higher proportions of Indigenous youth in the care of child welfare and who are incarcerated.

It is disheartening when politicians spout one-sided stories as their proof that a generation of youth is incompetent. Easily, an alternative narrative can be shared.

Youth took action with their right to vote this election. Over 70,000 voted early on campuses and some estimates predict a 10% increase in turnout from 2011. You can find youth across Ontario and Canada working to take action and create opportunities where little exists. Take for example the nearly 700 youth that created the Y2K Strategy in Kingston to improve community environment, health, and wellness. Youth are often working hard and taking action, but their actions easily go unrecognized.

Rather than sharing criticizing stories, politicians should focus energy to combat a youth unemployment rate that is almost double the national average. Politicians should address the student debt Ontario students face from paying the highest average tuition in Canada. Politicians should know that Ontario students would have to work a full summer at minimum wage just to afford tuition (let alone food, rent, books). Politicians should create opportunities for homeless youth, a large portion who fled experiences of interpersonal violence, emotional, physical and/or sexual abuse.

Politicians should use this evidence to recognize the conditions that prevent youth from reaching their potential. That our own Prime Minister is the Minister of Youth and the Liberal platform committed to creating a Commissioner for Children and Young Persons gives a nod to the unique and pressing needs of children and young people. Let’s change the conditions of poverty. Let’s embrace encouragement rather than disbelief.

Campaign 2000 sees Budget 2016 as a historic step forward in Canada’s battle against child poverty. Investments targeting children and families in poverty lay the ground work to turn the tide against Canada’s child poverty epidemic which plagues nearly 1 in 5 children overall and over 40% of Indigenous children.

Budget 2016 boosts incomes through the Canada Child Benefit, which is projected to lift 300,000 children out of poverty. Other positive first steps include investments in First Nations child welfare, education, housing and clean water on reserve; improvements to Employment Insurance; funding for affordable housing and a commitment to developing a National Housing Strategy.

Unfortunately, the budget delays indexation of the Child Benefit to Inflation until 2020, as well as much needed funding for childcare until 2017-18. It also fails to allocate funds for the development of the promised Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy and the implementation of the 94 Calls to Action from Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The new Canada Child Benefit (CCB) will be delivered to low and moderate income families starting in July. “It is very positive that the needs of the over 1.34 million children living in poverty in Canada were not eclipsed by recent, fevered discussions of reducing the deficit. Investing in families and children in low and modest income makes smart economic sense. Boosting local economies while building more equitable futures for children is a win-win, says Anita Khanna, Campaign 2000’s National Coordinator. “We are now looking for the Federal Government to initiate agreements with the provinces and territories to ensure no portion of the CCB is deducted or clawed back from families on social assistance, who live on some of the lowest incomes in the country.

This can be achieved through adding a condition to the Canada Social Transfer that prohibits claw backs. Government should also plan for long term increases in the CCB to such a level that it reduces child poverty by 50% in 5 years as part of a strong Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Read our press release: English and French

End Child and Family Poverty in Canada will focus on how the Speech from the Throne addresses the urgent need for immediate action to eradicate child and family poverty in Canada. “We recognize the significant poverty reduction potential of the commitments from the new federal government and we are focused on how and when these commitments will be put into action to create meaningful change for children and families in poverty, says Anita Khanna, National Coordinator for Campaign 2000.

Speech from the Throne must Prioritize Children & Families in Poverty – Media Release

The 2015 report card, entitled Let’s Do This: Let’s End Child Poverty for Good outlines the once in a generation opportunity before Canada to eradicate child and family poverty. With the federal government committed to collaboratively developing a national poverty reduction strategy, Canada must seize the opportunity to finally end the child poverty crisis for good.

The report card offers practical policy recommendations to all political parties to redress the persistence of child poverty in Canada.

Let’s End Child Poverty for Good – Media Release

No riding in Canada is immune from child poverty, according to the latest research from Campaign 2000: End Child and Family Poverty in Canada.

A striking new series of maps demonstrates that child and family poverty persists in every riding nation wide. With over 1.3 million children living in poverty in Canada, the issue affects all Canadians and must be addressed by all parties before election day on October 19th. This is the first time that child poverty rates have been mapped by riding from coast to coast to coast.

Child Poverty by Federal Riding
La pauvreté des enfants par circonscription électorale fédérale

Touted as family-friendly, the 2015 federal budget misses its target by providing costly tax cuts to the wealthy at the expense of the pressing needs of the majority of Canada’s children and families, including those in poverty.

“This budget is out of step with the realities of the majority of families in Canada who struggle to afford child care and housing on virtually stagnant incomes from coast to coast to coast. Over 19% of children in Canada, 1.3 million, live in poverty, yet this budget will not address their struggles,” said Anita Khanna, National Coordinator of Campaign 2000. “Low and moderate income families are left out of the vision for Canada outlined in this budget. Targeting tax relief to those in the highest income brackets through income splitting and increasing the limit on Tax Free Savings Accounts, while increasing the Universal Child Care Benefit, is expensive, inefficient and a sure path to greater income inequality.”

Missing the Target: Children and Families in Poverty Left Out of Budget 2015
Cible ratée : les enfants et les familles pauvres oublies dans le Budget 2015