Press Room

The Speech from the Throne heralding the start of the 41st Parliament held no surprises, a few bright lights and some important gaps. Read more »

March 23, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Ottawa, ON: Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) is disappointed that the federal budget did not address the real needs of Canadians, ignoring the social and environmental deficits.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Ottawa, ON: This afternoon, the federal government released its response to the Parliamentary report Federal Poverty Reduction Plan: Working in Partnership Towards Reducing Poverty in Canada. And with it, Citizens for Public Justice’s hope for Ottawa to meaningfully engage in poverty reduction efforts evaporated. Read more »

CPJ celebrates the release of a major parliamentary report on poverty! The report, Federal Poverty Reduction Plan: Working in Partnership Towards Reducing Poverty in Canada clearly demonstrates that Members of Parliament agree that a minimal role for the federal government is no longer on the agenda. Immediate action is urgently needed. Stay tuned for more information and analysis of this groundbreaking report. Read more »

September 27, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Ottawa, ON: According to official statistics, at least 3.4 million Canadians live in poverty. As a result of the recent recession, and according to CPJ’s May 2010 research report, Bearing the Brunt, however, the real number is substantially higher.

Earlier this year, the Senate unanimously approved a groundbreaking report by the Senate sub-committee on Cities. In from the Margins: A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness contains a series of 74 recommendations “designed to lift Canadians out of poverty.” The government’s official response was released this evening. Read more »

June 16, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Ottawa, ON: Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) praised a new private member’s bill tabled in the House of Commons today calling for a federal poverty elimination strategy. The bill was tabled by Tony Martin of the New Democratic Party and seconded by Mike Savage of the Liberal Party and Yves Lessard of the Bloc Québécois.

“This is an important piece of legislation that will help to promote dignity for all Canadians,” said Chandra Pasma, CPJ’s public justice policy analyst. “We believe that developing a poverty elimination strategy is something all political parties, all Canadians and all people of faith should support. We are pleased to see this cross-party cooperation in introducing the bill, and we hope it will continue until the bill is adopted.” Read more »

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Ottawa, ON: The 2008-2009 recession created poverty for hundreds of thousands of Canadian families, according to a new report released by Citizens for Public Justice (funded by World Vision Canada). Read more »

Now is the time to end poverty in Canada. That’s the key message of the Dignity for All Campaign, launched today in Calgary. Dignity for All: The Campaign for a Poverty-Free Canada aims to eliminate poverty and build a more socially secure and cohesive Canada by the year 2020. Read more »

Lauding Parliament’s unanimous support of a joint motion urging world leaders to make the fight against poverty a priority, Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) reiterated its call for an action plan to reduce poverty in Canada. Read more »

While applauding the government’s serious approach to the economic crisis, Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) is disappointed that the federal budget did not contain a poverty reduction strategy or any significant measures to help the most vulnerable in Canada. Read more »