Minister says federal cooperation needed

Interesting story in the Toronto Star today, with the Ontario Children and Youth Services Minister Deb Matthews saying the province may miss their poverty reduction targets.

The McGuinty government promised to implement a poverty reduction strategy during the last election in the fall of 2007, and unveiled the plan in December of 2008. The target of reducing poverty rates in the province by 25 per cent over the next five years was in the plan.

Today the Ontario government kept its' promise and announced a poverty reduction strategy for Ontario. This is something that Make Poverty History campaigned for during the provincial election in the fall of 2007, and the Liberals agreed to announce a plan by this month to reduce poverty in the province.

Our allies at the 25 in 5 campaign have had a look at the plan, and are cautiously optimistic. The plan commits to reducing poverty by 25 percent over 5 years in Ontario - now the work comes in making sure the commitments are kept.