Ahead of the federal fiscal update and passing of Bill C-2, An Act to provide further support in response to COVID-19, Campaign 2000 sent an open letter to all Members of Parliament recommending that the federal government continue income benefits for individuals and ensure that past emergency benefit programs are not penalizing people who have low incomes and leaving them in greater distress. The inequality gap is widening and there is an opportunity to close the gaps that those who have low income tend to slip through. Read the full letter below.

December 14, 2021

Re: CERB Amnesty

Dear Members of Parliament:

I am writing to you on behalf of Campaign 2000: End Child and Family Poverty, which is a broad pan-Canadian coalition of more than 120 organizations who, together, represent every province and territory in the country. In anticipation of the federal fiscal update and ahead of the passing of Bill C-2, we strongly recommend that the federal government continue income benefits for individuals and ensure that past emergency benefit programs are not penalizing people who have low incomes and leaving them in greater distress.

Campaign 2000 members have been calling for a ‘CERB Amnesty’ for those living in poverty or near poverty since June 2020. A CERB Amnesty refers to the need to amend the unintended consequences of that program, which have had detrimental impacts on individuals, families and youth aging out of care who are living on low incomes. Bill C-2, An Act to provide further support in response to COVID-19, provides an opportunity to legislate supportive changes as we are cresting on another wave of pandemic. Our recommendations are as follows:

• Ensure that the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) payments do not result in claw backs of the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) and refundable tax credits such as the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) and the Canada Worker’s Benefit (CWB);
• Refund all lost benefit amounts related to CERB/CRB receipt and recalculate and apply the readjusted benefit amounts to the remainder of this benefit year;
• Cease pursuing people living on low incomes for repayments of the CERB and ensure that no payments are sought for the CRB;
• Legislate the reinstatement of the CRB at the full $500 amount weekly into Bill C-2 until Employment Insurance is reformed; and
• Ensure social assistance adequacy through increased investments into the Canada Social Transfer, tied to adequacy standards accountability mechanisms.

The CERB rolled out quickly to support people during the economic crisis brought about by the pandemic. Nearly nine million people accessed the CERB, many of whom were low-income earners. This benefit was a real lifeline for those who could access it; it helped people to pay rent, purchase necessities, and to keep themselves and their communities safe by isolating at home, while buoying local economies as individuals shopped close to home.

However, several severe issues have been emerging in relation to the CERB that are causing unanticipated hardship in the lives of people with low incomes. These include:

• Recalculations of GIS – These recalculations have resulted in partial, and in some cases full, reduction of GIS payments for nearly 90,000 low income seniors. It is important to note that the $5000 exemption threshold for earned income that is ordinarily applied to GIS calculations was not applied to the CERB;
• Recalculations of refundable tax credits – CERB payments have factored into calculations for income programs such as the Canada Child Benefit and the Canada Worker’s Benefit, resulting in lower payments to families and individuals;
• Federal CERB repayment debt – Nearly half a million Canadians have been asked by CRA to provide proof of eligibility or repay the CERB in full. Many of these people, however, were either confused about eligibility requirements, are unable to obtain the necessary documentation to prove that they met eligibility criteria, were encouraged to apply by CRA workers, or in some cases were pushed to apply for the CERB by provincial social assistance authorities despite not being eligible. Some people living in poverty could see no other option but to apply as all their community support programs had closed;
• Interactions with provincial and territorial income and disability assistance programs – Income assistance recipients who lost work applied for the CERB, and in some cases they were mandated by case workers to apply. Since the CERB was counted as earned income, it was clawed back from many social assistance and disability benefit recipients in part or in full, depending on the province or territory they lived in; and
• Interactions with housing rent subsidies – In jurisdictions where income is calculated on a monthly basis, low income earners who received CERB saw their rent subsidies decrease immediately, resulting in rent increases (as was the case for Toronto Community Housing residents). In jurisdictions where income is calculated annually, renters learned of decreases to subsidies this summer and fall (as is the case with the Rent Assist program in Manitoba).

These consequences are the result of program design features that were not transparent. This meant that most CERB applicants were not aware of them. They have resulted in people losing their housing and small businesses, facing increased stress and anxiety, and having less income now to make ends meet. These individuals and families are those who were living in or near poverty levels before the pandemic, who were disproportionately affected by the pandemic and economic fallout, and who now are worse off after accessing emergency pandemic benefits than they were before.

Campaign 2000 commends the Bloc Québécois and NDP parties for ensuring that reviewing and fixing these CERB related issues are legislated into Bill C-2, An Act to provide further support in response to COVID-19. We urge all federal parties and leaders to support a full CERB Amnesty for communities who were vulnerable to the pandemic and economic fallout and who are now in further distress. Indeed, as we head into another wave of the pandemic driven by the Omicron variant, this moment requires moral leadership.

We welcome the opportunity to further discuss a CERB Amnesty with you. Please feel free to contact me at any time at [email protected] or 647.393.1097.

Sincerely,

Leila Sarangi, National Director, Campaign 2000 & Director of Social Action, Family Service Toronto

Join Campaign 2000 for this discussion Wednesday, December 1^st, 2021, at 1 PM – 2:30 PM ET / 10 AM – 11:30 AM PT. Speakers will be announced shortly – check the event page regularly for updates!

Register today on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/no-one-left-behind-strategies-for-an-inclusive-recovery-webinar-tickets-209300372047

What does a just and equitable pandemic recovery look like for low-income communities across Canada? The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the deep inequities that exist in Canada with already vulnerable and marginalized communities experiencing greater impacts in their health, social and economic outcomes. As we begin to look at a pandemic recovery, what does it mean for low-income communities? How do we ensure that no one, and no child, is left behind? Campaign 2000: End Child and Family Poverty will be releasing its 30^th edition of a series of national and sub-national report cards on the state of child poverty, which include a suite of evidence-based solutions to put us on the path to ending poverty in Canada and realizing a just and equitable pandemic recovery. The report cards release on or around the November 24^th anniversary of 1989 all-party federal resolution to end child poverty by the year 2000.

The webinar will share key findings about the state of child and family poverty from our report card, as well as bring together poverty reduction thought leaders to highlight the relevance of the findings to ongoing efforts to address anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Black racism, affordable housing, childcare, ableism, and the COVID-19 pandemic. It will include a presentation of the findings, a moderated panel discussion, spotlight a provincial report card, and opportunities for audience Q&A. 

For questions about the event, or to request accommodations, please contact [email protected]

This webinar, along with the release of the report card, are part of a series of joint actions by several national anti-poverty and social policy organizations including the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the Dignity for All Coalition, and UNICEF, to call on this new federal government to take decisive action on ending poverty in Canada.

Campaign 2000 releases its annual report card on child and family poverty, No One Left Behind: Strategies for an Inclusive Recovery. The report shows data that suggest poverty reduction has declined and in some parts of Canada, poverty has increased. Using the latest data available (from 2019) this report paints a stark picture of income, health and social inequalities and deepening levels of child and family poverty.  In fact, children are living in deeper poverty. For example, the average single parent family with 2 children living in low income was $13,262 away from the CFLIM-AT in 2019, compared to $9,612 away in 2015. To reach the poverty line, a parent earning $15 per hour would need to work an additional 5.5 months full-time, assuming no taxes or deductions.

For the first time, the national report examines poverty through a social determinant of health framework. It is accompanied by an interactive map that shows that child poverty is a significant issue in every federal riding across the country. The report finds disproportionately higher rates of child poverty among communities marginalized by systemic barriers.

It was found that poverty reduction associated with the Canada Child Benefit will continue to stall and that it does not provide enough support to move families out of poverty. As such, the report offers recommendations for moving forward in a way that is inclusive and plays a clear role in poverty reduction.

This report offers 60 recommendations for poverty reduction and recovery efforts.

Key Findings from the 2021 National Report Card, No One Left Behind: Strategies for an Inclusive Recovery

• Nearly 1 in 5 children lived in poverty (1,313,400 or 17.7%) in 2019
• The national child poverty rate declined by .5 of a percentage points between 2018-2019, representing an additional 24,170 lifted out of poverty.  At this rate, it would take 54 more years to end child poverty.
• The child poverty rate is higher (18.5%) for children under six than all children.  
• The reduction in poverty associated with the Canada Child Benefit will continue to stall. The benefit cannot move eligible families in deep poverty out.  The maximum CCB was $6,639 for each child under six and $5,602 for each child between the ages of six and seventeen in 2019.
• Canada’s universal childcare plan must include low-income children with a sliding scale fee model of $0 to $10 maximum.
• Care work should be decent work. The care economy (including health, childcare, education) represents 21.1% of all jobs and generates 12% of GDP and must be central to an inclusive recovery.
• Canada still needs a national pharmacare plan, which should be expanded to include dental, vision, rehabilitation.

Want to read more?

Click on the following links to read and download the new report cards as they become available.

English National Report Card (Amended), Infographic and Press Release

French Executive Summary; Full French National Report Card and French press release

Check out the provincial report cards:

British Columbia Report and Press Release

Alberta

Saskatchewan Report Card and a Critical Review of Canada’s Poverty Line: The Market Basket Measure

Manitoba Report Card and Press Release

English Ontario Report Card and Press Release; French Ontario Report Card and Press Release

New Brunswick Report Card and Press Release

Nova Scotia Report Card and Press Release

Prince Edward Island (amended)

Yukon (forthcoming)

On August 6, 2021, Campaign 2000 submitted investment priorities and recommendations for the 2022 federal budget, with a focus on a supportive recovery plan. This was submitted nine days before the election was called. These recommendations remain as key policy priorities during the election and as budget priorities for the government. The budget submission states that during this period of uneven economic recovery, marginalized groups and families are the ones experiencing systemic discrimination and have been disproportionately impacted by the economic fallout of the pandemic. Budget 2022 must aim to support these families and individuals and in doing so, ensure that no one is left behind in recovery efforts. To achieve this, we must remove barriers to increase eligibilities for families to get access to the efforts they need, such as recovery benefits. You can read the 2022 Pre-Budget Submission here.

People across Canada are supportive of a broad repayment amnesty for anyone living on low incomes, according to a Campaign 2000 petition presented to the House of Commons today.

The petition, signed by people living in nearly every jurisdiction in the country, called on the government to implement a repayment amnesty for all people who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) whose incomes are below or just above the poverty line, and for all youth transitioning out of care, regardless of eligibility to receive the benefit.

“The CERB was not intended to be a poverty reduction tool, but that’s exactly what it did. The federal government should be applauded for taking quick action in a time of crisis and delivering this low-barrier benefit to people who needed it,” says Leila Sarangi, National Coordinator of Campaign 2000. “Not only is it cruel to ask for money back from those living on low incomes who took and used the benefit for what it was meant to be used for, but it goes against the government’s own goals to reduce poverty.” Read the full press release.

Campaign 2000 and partners have been calling for a Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) repayment amnesty for anyone living below or near the Low Income Measure, and the call is gaining traction. With tax time upon us and the federal budget looming, it’s time to make sure this issue is front and centre.

One year in and it’s clear that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted already marginalized groups: im/migrants, racialized women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, women and gender diverse people fleeing violence, youth transitioning out of care, low waged and precarious workers, people receiving social assistance.

The CERB was a lifeline for many. It helped people to isolate safely at home, to deal with rising costs of food, PPE, cleaning supplies, broadband/cell/computer access, rent and other kinds of necessities.  There was a lot of confusion about who was eligible for this benefit but the dominant message coming out of the government was apply anyway, we won’t leave anyone behind.

Now the federal government is saying that low-income folks who can’t prove their eligibility will have to pay back thousands of dollars that they just don’t have. Even after they were encouraged and, in the case of social assistance recipients, legislated, by government and social service workers to apply.

It is both immoral and impractical for the government to saddle people with this kind of long-term debt, and it flies in the face of a human rights approach to poverty reduction, as well as the vision for an intersectional feminist pandemic recovery.

You can help support the call for a CERB Repayment Amnesty in the following ways:

Click here to sign the E-Petition before April 23

Share your CERB Story through this form

Want to know more about the Campaign? Read our policy brief in English and in French.

Today campaign partners in Saskatchewan and Yukon release new reports on child and family poverty. This is the first ever Campaign 2000-affiliated child poverty report released in the Yukon – thank you and congratulations to the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition. 

The Yukon report found that in 2018, 10.9% of Yukoners were considered low income, but Yukoners most likely to be considered low income based on the Low Income Measure included Lone-parent families (22.1%) and Households living outside of the Whitehorse (14.5%). Read the full report, which includes 10 recommendations and several policy proposals to improve the health and wellness of children, youth, and families in the Yukon.

The Saskatchewan report reveals a provincial child poverty rate of 26.1%, well above the child poverty rate of 18.2% for Canada as a whole, and greater than all other provinces and territories with the exception of Manitoba and Nunavut. Children in lone parent families had a poverty rate of 59.9%.

Read the Saskatchewan 2020 Child and Family Report Card and Poverty Report Brief.

Read the Yukon 2020 Child and Family Report Card and the media release.

Also out today is the French 2020 National Report card. 

We are at a crossroads.  Effectiveness of the national poverty reduction strategy has stalled. Between 2015 and 2017 we experienced a 9.7 % decrease in the child poverty rate (Census Family Low Income Measure, After Tax); but progress had not continued.  By 2018 and there was deterioration in the child poverty rate in many provinces and territories and a growth of food insecurity to unanticipated levels.  Beyond this, significantly higher rates of Coronavirus infection in low income neighbourhoods, among racialized and Indigenous groups, and precarious essential workers, especially female workers – all of whom have higher poverty rates – has tragically laid bare the risks of poverty.  The federal government must take responsibility under section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to protect the life, liberty, and security of the person and of all children living in Canada.  The federal government must now stop the continued subjection of so many of our children and families to the vulnerability inherent in poverty.

Today, Campaign 2000 submitted a suite of recommendations for a budget that truly creates an intersectional and feminist recovery plan that centres marginalized communities.

Included in the list of priorities are: 1. A CERB repayment amnesty for anyone living below or near the low income measure; 2. Extending the pandemic top-up to the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) for all children under 18, and removing barriers to access for people with irregular immigration status, as well as customary care, kinship and families outside of formal care arrangements; and 3. The creation of a parallel income benefit delivery system for marginalized people who are outside of the personal income tax system and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). 

Read the full submission here.

The consultation process for the 2021 federal budget is open until February 19, 2021.   You can have your say by sending in your own submission or filling out the survey on the government website .

Campaign 2000 calls on all federal leaders to take a stand in support of all low income people in Canada who have faced economic hardship before and during the pandemic by supporting a broad repayment amnesty for those who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) but were later deemed ineligible.

“The federal government’s roll out of individual emergency income supports in March must be applauded,” says Leila Sarangi, National Coordinator for Campaign 2000. “This move no doubt was a lifeline for thousands of people living on low income. Now it’s time for the Prime Minister and all federal party leaders to decisively support a CERB repayment amnesty for anyone living in low income who received the benefit but who were found to be ineligible after the fact.”

Read the full press release.

Today, Campaign 2000 releases its annual report on child and family poverty, Beyond the Pandemic: Rising Up for a Canada Free of Poverty. New findings show that prior to the pandemic, over 1,330,000 children in Canada lived in poverty, and the child poverty rate declined less than half a percentage point between 2017-2018 from 18.6% to 18.2%. Nearly 1 in 5 children continue to experience the harsh long-term consequences that poverty and discrimination have on social, mental and physical health and well-being.

Of concern, the report finds that child poverty rates grew in several provinces and territories, including Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Manitoba, and remained relatively unchanged in Alberta, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.  The rates declined modestly in Quebec, British Columbia, Ontario, Yukon and Northwest Territories.  Examining the role of the Canada Child Benefit, we find that it had an important impact in the year it was first introduced, but the deteriorating effect on child poverty rates suggests that this impact was front-ended and waning.  

Longstanding economic inequality and social and health inequalities have impacted the ability of many vulnerable families to weather the pandemic. Systemic discrimination, widespread precarious work, dismally inadequate social assistance rates, barriers to accessing government transfers, lack of available and affordable housing, childcare, medicare, and little movement towards true Reconciliation have left children and their families vulnerable to the negative health, social and economic impacts of the pandemic and excluded from emergency responses.

With today’s report, Campaign 2000 releases a set of recommendations designed for the federal government to address longstanding inequities head on. Recommendations include emphasis on collaboration with First Nations, Inuit and Métis governments and organizations, targeted action to reduce poverty in communities marginalized by race, gender, ability and other equity dimensions with investments and policy reforms on income security, childcare, housing, youth, public health, decent work, and income inequality. These recommendations will ensure that all vulnerable families are included in short-term and long-term recovery efforts. Today’s report is launched alongside provincial and, for the first time ever, territorial report cards in Yukon and the Northwest Territories, highlighting that poverty is a national issue, impacting the lives of children and families from coast to coast to coast.

Select key Findings from the 2020 National Report Card, Beyond the Pandemic: Rising Up for a Canada Free of Poverty

• Nearly 1 in 5 children lived in poverty (1,337,570 or 18.2%) in Canada in 2018.
• The national child poverty rate declined by less than half a percentage point between 2017 to 2018, from 18.6% to 18.2%, representing 19,410 children fewer children in poverty.
• Poverty rates increased between 2017 to 2018 in several jurisdictions: Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Manitoba.
• The Canada Child Benefit (CCB) had a significant impact on child poverty rates the year it was implemented, but this lack of progress suggests that benefits were front-ended and short lived. In 2018, the CCB protected 662,080 from falling into poverty.
• 1.2 million children were food insecure in 2017-2018, representing the highest number recorded since food insecurity monitoring began in Canada. The CCB has been shown to reduce severe food insecurity in families.
• Well-designed government transfers can reduce poverty. In 2018, total government transfers reduced the child poverty rate from 33.1% to 18.2%, reflecting a difference of over one million fewer children living in poverty. But transfers alone are not enough.
• Canada must aim to reduce poverty by 50% according to the CFLIM-AT calculated by taxfiler data by the year 2025 and must ensure the same rate of reduction for marginalized communities where prevalence is higher.
• Pandemic recovery is dependent on the creation of a well-resourced, publicly funded universal childcare system, eliminating fee subsidy systems that create barriers to access for low-income families.
• Access to adequate housing is key to maintaining public health. Substantial new investments are needed that meet the needs of diverse communities, and that fulfill the federal governments human rights obligations and gender-based plus (GBA+) commitments of the National Housing Strategy.
• Now is the time to implement universal pharmacare with new legislation and an initial investment of a $3.5 billion annual pharmacare transfer to the provinces and territories with the condition of providing universal public coverage of essential medicines, with a shift to full pharmacare over 5 years.
• Economic fallout from the pandemic has affected already vulnerable workers and shone a light on abysmally poor labour standards. Canada must immediately implement $15/hr minimum wage; legislate paid sick days; lengthen the duration and improve access to emergency measures; strengthen the Employment Equity Act and attach Community Benefit Agreements; and reform Employment Insurance over the longer-term.

Click on the following links to read and download the new report cards as they become available.

• National Report Card: Beyond the Pandemic: Rising Up for a Canada Free of Poverty
• French 2020 National Report card
• National Campaign 2000 media release in English

Check out the provincial report cards on child poverty:

• Prince Edward Island Report Card
• Nova Scotia Report Card
• New Brunswick Report Card
• Ontario Report Card
• Manitoba Report Card
• Saskatchewan Report Card
• Alberta Report Card
• British Columbia Report Card
• North West Territories Report Card
• Yukon Report Card