Recent Actions

This week we have an opportunity to make an impact on poverty in Canada. A bill currently before Parliament, the Secure, Adequate, Accessible and Affordable Housing Act, calls on our federal government to develop a national housing strategy.

Bill C-400 would oblige the federal government to bring provincial and municipal governments to the table with Aboriginal communities, civil society, non-profits and the private sector to create a plan that ensures everyone in Canada lives in decent and affordable housing.

MPs will be voting on the bill on February 27, so please act now.

On July 22nd, approximately 20,000 people from 200 countries will converge on Washington D.C. for the XIX International AIDS Conference. This is the premier event to take stock of the fight against the epidemic and to renew our commitment to a bold global response.

Despite progress in recent years, over 33 million people are living with HIV, the vast majority of them in poverty. Less than half the people who are eligible to receive life-saving anti-retroviral medications currently get them. Stigma and discrimination continue to plague the most vulnerable groups.

We have the knowledge and tools to end the AIDS epidemic. But we lack the political commitment to deliver proven strategies at a scale that will turn the tide.

Those living in poverty are hit hardest by spikes in food prices. Hunger and malnutrition make it difficult for families to work their way out of poverty. This is a devastating cycle that affects millions of people globally. 

Canada increased its efforts to overcome hunger in 2009, as part of the G8’s L’Aquila Food Security Initiative (2009).   But L’Aquila is over and Canada’s investment in food security is falling, despite the fact that there are still nearly one billion people in the world without enough to eat.

Canada has an opportunity to act now:  Food security is on the agenda for both the G8 and G20 meetings in 2012.

The Ontario government plans severe cuts in the coming budget which will disproportionately hurt those on modest- and low-incomes.

The Drummond Commission recently made 362 recommendations on how the Ontario government should cut spending and reorganize programs to balance the budget by 2017-2018. These recommendations include a real decrease in public spending on social services, child care, health care, and other programs - cutbacks which will disproportionately hurt those living in poverty.

Let’s not solve the fiscal crisis by enlarging the gap between the rich and the rest. Join us in urging our government to retain and improve much-needed programs and services for the 1.7 million Ontarians living in poverty.

November 24th is a special day in the fight against poverty.

On November 24th 1989, Canada's House of Commons passed a unanimous all-party resolution to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000.

On November 24th 2009, the House passed another unanimous motion to "develop an immediate plan to eliminate poverty in Canada for all".

And last November the House's Human Resources Committee called for a federal poverty reduction plan with measurable targets and timelines.

The sad part is that nothing's been implemented to date.

Twenty-two years, two unanimous House resolutions, and several reports calling for action, yet nearly 3,200,000 Canadians continue to live in poverty.

Your action in support of Make Poverty History during the last Ontario election put poverty on the provincial government agenda. In 2009 all parties voted unanimously for the Poverty Reduction Act.

This election, you can help make sure that poverty remains a key issue. Send a message to the leaders of the Ontario political parties urging them to commit to take action on eliminating poverty.

Last year the federal government announced their plan to freeze the aid budget for 2011 at 2010 levels. But after 8 years of 8% annual increases, our aid spending amounts to only 0.3% of our national income – less than half of the 0.7% that Canada has promised to give. If we freeze aid at 2010 levels, we will start moving backwards – away from the 0.7% aid target. We can't let this happen.

An all party committee of parliament has put forward a report that could change the face of poverty in Canada.

The report calls for the federal government to immediately commit to a federal action plan to reduce poverty in Canada. Make Poverty History has contributed and pushed for this report, now we must make its recommendations a reality.

A very important meeting of world leaders will take place next week at the UN in New York to review progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which aim to reduce extreme poverty by half by the year 2015.

Action update: Because of your support in recent actions, PM Stephen Harper is now going to attend the summit. This is our chance to urge him to fulfill Canada's commitments to end poverty.