Reflections from CPJ's new policy analyst

A month has now passed since I joined the team at CPJ and it has certainly been an interesting time. Starting a public policy job in the middle of an election campaign has been very exciting. I’ve had the chance to study party platforms and political proposals and consider how various compositions of the new federal government could influence our work at CPJ, and how we might influence the government.

I’ve also had the chance to work with several CPJ partners, to exchange information with other organizations engaged in the fight against poverty in Canada, and to meet some of the members of supporters of CPJ.

CCSD’s Poverty-Reduction Summit: On Saturday, September 27, I participated in an event hosted by the Canadian Council on Social Development that brought together representatives of over 35 organizations working on poverty reduction across Canada. One of the most interesting aspects of the event was the range of organizations present – social planning councils and community health centres, anti-poverty coalitions, and national public policy organizations. Most of the organizations present were secular, but CPJ wasn’t alone in bringing a faith-inspired perspective. The day offered a tremendous opportunity for exchange. At the end of the day, there was a clear consensus that we need a federal poverty-reduction strategy.

Press Conference Calling for Attention to Poverty: On Thursday, October 2, I represented CPJ in a press conference on Parliament Hill. Together with the National Anti-Poverty Organization and the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, we demanded that the five main political parties give greater attention to poverty and social inequality in the final stretch of the election campaign.

Debate on Poverty and Inequality: I had the privilege of working with Chandra, colleagues at the National Anti-Poverty Organization, and representative from 32 other social justice organizations in organizing a national debate on poverty and inequality in Canada. The event took place on Monday, October 6, and, despite the absence of the Conservative Party, was a success. Chandra has posted some initial reflections and a full report will be available in the next Ola!.

NAPO AGM: Earlier this week, Chandra and I attended the Annual General Meeting of the National Anti-Poverty Organization. Not only was it nice to get a better sense of the operations of this important CPJ partner, but the presentations given by a number of NAPO Board members on the reality of poverty in their part of the country were tremendously insightful.

Website Launch Event: Finally, I had the tremendous opportunity to meet CPJ supporters and board members at last evening’s launch of the new CPJ website and advocacy toolkit. The guidance of our board, and the support we receive from members are essential to the operations and success of CPJ. It was both an honour and a privilege to meet some of these wonderful people.

It is a real blessing to be working at CPJ and I am happy to have had the chance to do the work that I have done so far. And, with a federal election now just days away, I am excited about the potential that lies ahead.