Campaign 2000 Celebrates the Life of Ed Broadbent
January 12, 2024
For Immediate Release – It is with the heaviest of hearts that Campaign 2000: End Child and Family Poverty mourns the passing of Ed Broadbent. We wholeheartedly feel the loss of a champion who was committed to fighting for justice and equality in Canada and around the world.
On November 24th, 1989, as Ed stepped down as the leader of the New Democratic Party, he introduced the House of Commons motion to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000, a motion that was unanimously passed.
The birth of Campaign 2000 in 1991 was sparked by Ed’s commitment to eliminating child and family poverty. Activists Marvyn Novick and Rosemarie Popham, co-founders of Campaign 2000, took hold of the resolution introduced by Ed and, building on the work of the Child Poverty Action Group and others, set out to make child poverty a public policy issue in Canada.
“Ed was an accomplished humanitarian who continued his pursuit of equity and justice for all until these final days. He was also a man of ideas who could talk easily with people about his thoughts and strategies. And his humour always livened up the conversation,” said Laurel Rothman, former National Coordinator, Campaign 2000: End Child Poverty (1998-2015). “When Campaign 2000 sought support and wise counsel, he always made himself available.”
Ed leaves behind a legacy of tirelessly fighting for equal rights and a just society that has inspired many to strive for a nation free of poverty. In 1992, the first report card on child and family poverty was released. Today, Campaign 2000 continues to release report cards annually that track the federal government’s progress towards the 1989 commitment.
“With his passing, we not only celebrate his life achievements but remind ourselves of the commitment made by the Federal government to eradicate family and child poverty so long ago,” said Chris Brillinger, Executive Director of Family Service Toronto. “To honour his life and work, we must remain steadfast in our resolve to eradicate child and family poverty in our lifetime. Mr. Broadbent always knew the vision was possible, it is our responsibility to keep that vision front and centre for policymakers until the job is done.”
To the Campaign 2000 network, he was a close friend and ally. We will continue to honour and celebrate his steadfast commitment to justice and equality and strive toward bettering the lives of all Canadians from coast to coast to coast.
To download this statement as a PDF, please click here.
Contact Information
Mithilen Mathipalan, Coordinator, Social Action, [email protected]
Campaign 2000 is a non-partisan, pan-Canadian network of 120 national, provincial and community partner organizations committed to working to end child and family poverty, hosted by Family Service Toronto. To learn more about Campaign 2000 visit https://www.campaign2000.ca