Child poverty activists have welcomed the federal government’s decision to step up plans to increase Canada Child Benefit payments for lower- and middle-income Canadians in pace with the cost of living.

“Indexation of the CCB has been a policy lever that Campaign 2000 has called for since Budget 2016,” said Anita Khanna, national co-ordinator of the non-partisan coalition of 120 national, provincial and community partner organizations co-ordinated by Family Service Toronto. “Low-income families need the CCB to keep up with the rising costs of housing, heat, hydro and food.”

As of July 2018, the CCB will be fully indexed to inflation – two years earlier than originally planned.

Campaign 2000 also welcomed the announced increase in funding for the Working Income Tax Benefit (WITB) adding: “While we have praise for these anti-poverty measures, we know that a full package of policies is needed to eradicate child and family poverty in Canada. These measures, include accessible, regulated childcare, affordable housing, drug and dental coverage and strong employment programs that provide families with stability.”

See full media release in English and French.

Campaign 2000’s response to the announcement appeared in the Toronto Star, the Financial Post and the Globe And Mail.

FST’s Campaign 2000 team has assisted efforts to explore poverty among LGBTQ+ Canadians in connection with the federal government’s work towards a national Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Campaign 2000 – a non-partisan coalition of 120 groups and individuals co-ordinated by Family Service Toronto – has called for a federal anti-poverty strategy for decades and partnered with University of Toronto Prof. Lori Ross on the LGBTQ+ recommendations.

They were included as part of a joint submission to government from the Canadian Coalition Against LGBTQ+ Poverty, an emerging new group comprised of university faculty and community groups across Canada.

Read the full submission here.

The online consultations for the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy (CPRS) will close at the end of June 2017. To make a submission or participate in this process, please go to the Government of Canada website and make your voices heard.

Family Service Toronto and Campaign 2000 welcome the government’s decision to launch the national public consultation process for the development of the C-PRS. “With nearly one in five children living in poverty, federal vision is essential to activate the policies and programs urgently needed to eradicate poverty in Canada,” says Anita Khanna, National Coordinator of Campaign 2000. “We welcome the opportunity to inform the development of the strategy and ensure it is guided by targets and timelines that improve the lives of children, families and all people who live in poverty.”

The nation-wide consultation process is achieved through a Poverty Reduction Strategy engagement website (including participating in discussion forums, online town halls and surveys or sending emails) and roundtables with provincial, territorial and municipal governments, Indigenous organizations, businesses, community organizations, academic experts and Canadians who have experienced poverty.

Today, Campaign 2000 releases its submission to the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy and convenes public forums in Winnipeg, Toronto and Charlottetown to discuss Canadians’ priorities for the Canada’s first poverty reduction strategy and make urgent recommendations for change.

Forum participants will connect via Skype and will insist the government’s strategy provides an effective plan to eradicate the number of Canadians – nearly five million – living in poverty.

“After decades of broken promises to end poverty, Canada’s first national Poverty Reduction Strategy must deliver a sea change in Canada’s infrastructure of supports and services that prevent and reduce poverty,” says Campaign 2000 National Coordinator Anita Khanna. “Poverty deprives millions of people of their dignity, health and opportunities. A comprehensive action plan must redraw the social contract for the tough realities families face today – precarious, low-wage work, skyrocketing housing and food costs, unaffordable childcare and unequal opportunities for marginalized people.”

Canada must now move pledges to eliminate poverty from rhetoric to reality and finally put people in poverty first. After decades of waiting, there is no choice – we must act now and get this strategy right.

Media Release:  English and French

Submission: Federal Action Plan to Eradicate Poverty is available in English  and French.

Infographics: Campaign 2000’s 10-year Action Plan for the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy (includes a summary of targets, timelines and policy recommendations) and Poverty in Canada.

Media Contacts

National:
Anita Khanna, Campaign 2000: 416-788-3439 or 416-595-9230 x250.
Liyu Guo, Campaign 2000: 416-595-9230 x250 or 416-624-1885.

Winnipeg:  
Sid Frankel, University of Manitoba, 204-474-9706

Vancouver: 
Adrienne Montani, First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition, 604-877-4932 or 778-320-4561

Charlottetown: 
Mary Boyd, PEI Coalition for a Poverty Eradication Strategy, 902-892-9074 or 902-388-2693

 

This Monday, June 12, public forums in Winnipeg, Toronto and Charlottetown will connect people across Canada to discuss their priorities for the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy (CPRS).

With 4.9 million Canadians in poverty and government consulting for the strategy until June 30, Campaign 2000’s forums will focus on the dire need for federal action on urgent recommendations to eradicate poverty.

On the same day,  Campaign 2000 will release a comprehensive CPRS submission, Federal Action Plan to Eradicate Poverty, outlining solutions with clear targets and timelines for success. Read full media advisory.

Campaign 2000 June Forums
Cross-site online feed starts at 6:30 p.m. EST

Toronto

Shaping Canada’s first Poverty Reduction Strategy
6-9 p.m. EST
Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil Street.
Speakers include: Dr. Gary Bloch (St. Michael’s Hospital), Neethan Shan (Ward 42 City Councillor), Maya Roy (CEO YWCA Canada), Damon Johnston (Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg), Lubna Khalid (Working for Change) and many more.
Host: Campaign 2000

Winnipeg

Shaping Canada’s first Poverty Reduction Strategy
5-8 p.m. CST
Winnipeg Harvest, 1085 Winnipeg Ave.
Host: Winnipeg Harvest

Charlottetown

Public Meeting: Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy
7:00 p.m. ADT
Murphy Community Centre, 200 Richmond St. Room 207, Charlottetown
Hosts: PEI Coalition for a Poverty Eradication Strategy & MacKillop Centre for Social Justice
June 14th Forum

Vancouver

Community Conversation on Federal Poverty Reduction Strategy
9-11:30 a.m. PST
BC Teachers’ Federation Building, 550 West 6th Avenue, Vancouver
Hosts: First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition & BC Poverty Reduction Coalition

Campaign 2000’s Public Forums: Shaping Canada’s First Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS)

Campaign 2000 and partners have called for a federal anti-poverty strategy for decades. Now, the federal government is in the process of developing a federal Poverty Reduction Strategy but the public consultation phase will end June 30.

To ensure community voices are heard within the PRS consultations, on June 12 the Campaign 2000 national network is holding a series of public forums across the country. Forums will take place in British Columbia, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto and Charlottetown. We will connect to speakers from other provinces online to bring our national movement for poverty eradication together.

Panel – Activities – Discussion

Join Campaign 2000 and our partners for an evening of open and engaging discussions to shape Canada’s first Poverty Reduction Strategy.  The priorities of people living in poverty and their allies must be heard by government.  Please come and make your voice heard loud and clear. Share your insights to ensure the strategy reflects the urgent concerns of Canadians living in poverty and those committed to eradicating it.

Date: Monday, June 12, 2017
Time: 6-9 p.m.; Event starts at 6:30 pm.
Location: Steel Workers Hall, 25 Cecil Street, Toronto (accessible location)
Registration: Limited Seating, please RSVP by Friday, June 2, 2017 on Eventbrite or 416-595-9230 ext.244.

Everyone welcome! We are all in this together.

TTC tokens and light refreshments provided (please state dietary needs). ASL & Child-minding provided by request – contact us by Friday, June 2 with your requests.

For further information please email:  [email protected] or call 416-595-9230 ext. 244.  We look forward to seeing you on June 12!

Download and share event flyer.

According to Campaign 2000, Budget 2017 makes inroads in some areas core to reducing child and family poverty, including addressing gender inequities and multi-year funding commitments to affordable housing and childcare and early learning. But the roll-out of funding is slow in the face of need for urgent and bold action against poverty.

Over 1.3 million children live in poverty in Canada today: nearly 1 in 5 children overall, rising to 60% of status First Nations Children on reserve. Serious action and commitment are required to immediately end poverty. The glaring absence of funding to equalize spending for child welfare and social services for Indigenous children on reserve is unacceptable in light of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) rulings. More immediate funding measures will be needed to ensure Canada’s upcoming Poverty Reduction Strategy can effectively address the realities of families and children living in poverty across the country.

Read the full response in English and French.

State-of-the-art estimates of the cost of raising children are the missing link for social policies and programs meant to support low income and middle class families, says Campaign 2000. Released today, Campaign 2000’s new report, “Estimating the Cost of Raising Children: Setting the Agenda for Canada,” outlines the need for official estimates to guide public policy and assist parents across Canada with planning. Read the full report in English or French and check out the infographic summary.

Media releases are also available in French or English.

In “Estimating the Cost of Raising Children: Setting the Agenda for Canada,” authors Dr. Dana Bazarkulova, Dr. Karen Duncan and Dr. Sid Frankel provide a comprehensive overview of the importance and history of the topic and present the advantages and disadvantages of various methods used to calculate the costs. Accurate estimates of the cost of raising children are dependent on comprehensive measurement of the costs families face. Further, costs can differ based on ethno-cultural practices, geographic location, disability and health status of children and such variation requires recognition. The report highlights that different types of estimates are best used for different purposes.

“Right now, we don’t have official estimates of what it costs to raise children,” says Anita Khanna, Campaign 2000 national coordinator. “Calculating the real cost of raising children is central to crafting evidence-based child poverty reduction policies that support the healthy development of children. With federal consultations for the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy underway for the first time in Canada’s history, it is time to fill this gap in public knowledge. We must ensure the realities of families’ real-time expenses, such as food, housing, childcare, transit, schools fees and even saving for post-secondary education, inform policy directions and to help level the uneven playing field for families.”

In the News:
Toronto Star: Canada urged to calculate how much it costs to raise children
Globe and Mail: Study says no firm estimate on costs to raise a family a problem for government

With one in five children living in poverty in Canada, Imagine A City’s Ask the Expert blog focuses on the impact and lasting effects of childhood poverty.

“The early years are the most important time in our life for brain development, learning, behaviour and health. These years are crucial to a child’s future wellbeing, self-esteem and physical and mental health… Side effects of poverty related to inadequate or unsafe housing, stress within a household and a lack of proper nutrition have a major impact on a child’s health, as well as their performance in school.” says Anita Khana, Director of Social Action and Community Building at Family Service Toronto.

Read full blog article.

Campaign 2000 releases its 2016 annual Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada on Thursday, November 24 in Ottawa. This date marks 27 years since the unanimous House of Commons resolution to end child poverty in Canada and seven years after the entire House of Commons voted “to develop an immediate plan to end poverty for all in Canada.

The 2016 national report card, A Road Map to Eradicate Child & Family Poverty, highlights the compelling reasons why the federal government needs to adopt a child and family poverty reduction lens on all policy, program and spending decisions. It provides a snapshot of child and family poverty today, outlines how poverty stalls children’s progress and potential and proposes policy solutions as a road map to guide eradication.

Campaign 2000 recognizes the significant poverty reduction potential of the commitments from the federal government. Our national media release notes, “Canada has a chronic child poverty problem that the federal government can solve, but it must get to the roots of the issues plaguing families.” Please read our full media releases, in English or French.

The national report card release corresponds with several Campaign 2000 partners releasing provincial report cards on child and family poverty in Vancouver, British Columbia; Regina, Saskatoon; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Toronto, Ontario; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Saint John, New Brunswick; and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

Click on the following links to read and download the new report cards and other materials:

Campaign 2000 National Report Card on Child and Family Poverty, 2016 in English and French

National Campaign 2000 sharable infographic, 2016

BC Report Card on Child & Family Poverty, 2016

Saskatchewan Report Card on Child and Family Poverty, 2016

Manitoba Report Card on Child and Family Poverty, 2016

Ontario Report Card on Child and Family Poverty, 2016, in English and French

Nova Scotia Report Card on Child and Family Poverty, 2016

New Brunswich Report Card on Child and Family Poverty  2016

Prince Edward Island Report Card on Child and Family Poverty, 2016

In addition, please check out our twitter messages @Campaign2000; and our Facebook page at facebook.com/Campaign2000/