Government “NO” to Federal Action Plan on Poverty Not Acceptable

Federal Poverty Reduction Plan is the result of three years of study by the House of Commons Human Resources Committee (HUMA), and represents a significant step towards eliminating poverty in Canada.

 

“The multi-party collaboration that led to Federal Poverty Reduction Plan gave us hope that maybe this time the government would grasp the need for a comprehensive and coordinated federal poverty elimination plan in Canada,” said CWP director and Dignity for All co-chair Rob Rainer. “Sadly, they seem content to maintain the status quo.”

 

Approximately 4.3 million Canadians live in poverty in a wide array of situations, from the visible homeless to the working poor and fall into many different groups, from recent immigrants to Aboriginal peoples to lone parents.

 

“Federal Poverty Reduction Plan shows that poverty continues to be a serious problem despite many government programs and provincial anti-poverty initiatives and that federal leadership is required if poverty is to be eliminated – and yet the government seems unable to comprehend that current initiatives are not a sufficient response,” said Joe Gunn, Executive Director of Citizens for Public Justice and Dignity for All co-chair. “The official response contains no mention of the parliamentary recommendations for a federal poverty reduction fund, increases to the Canada Child Tax Benefit, the elimination of the 2 per cent cap on spending increases for Aboriginal education, or the development of a comprehensive, long-term national housing strategy.”

 

“We had hoped that the government would see the need for a response that went beyond narrow labour market and economic security measures, especially after so many Canadians wrote to Minister Finley and their MPs calling for the federal government to take leadership on a national poverty reduction plan,” said Make Poverty History Coordinator and Dignity for All co-chair Dennis Howlett. “Instead, our concerns have been confirmed. The government appears unmoved by either the facts or the wishes of Canadians, and prefer to let this report and its 58 excellent recommendations gather dust. We plan to make sure it will be an issue that can’t be ignored in the next federal election.”