Rebekah's blog

Last week, just before the government’s presentation of Budget 2010, the Alternative Federal Budget (AFB), a project coordinated by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), released their Alternative Federal Budget 2010. Employment issues topped their list of priorities. Employment also topped the priority list of Budget 2010. Let’s see how they compare! Read more »

As February comes to an end and T4s are arriving in our mailboxes, many Canadians are beginning to think about tax returns for 2009. Taxes sometimes have a negative connotation, but in terms of lessening the gap between the rich and poor, they could make the difference between living in poverty and having adequate income.

But John Stapleton from the Metcalf Foundation (as cited in the Toronto Star) says that many low income Canadians are not filing tax returns and therefore not accessing the benefits available to them. Stapleton offers multiple reasons for this, most related to a lack of access to services or a misunderstanding of how the system works. Read more »

According to national growth figures in Canada the recession is over and recovery is well underway. But do national trends give a clear indication of the state of families, households and individuals?

Yesterday the Vanier Institute of the Family released The Current State of Canadian Family Finances 2009 Report. As part of the Family Finances series, this report discusses the financial status of Canadian families based on household income, debt, employment patterns and living expenses. The 2009 Report contains an entire section illustrating the impacts of the recession on families, stating that it will be a long time before recovery fully reaches Canadians households. Read more »

On February 10, Ottawa City Council voted to adopt a municipal poverty reduction strategy. The plan, entitled Poverty affects us all: A community approach to poverty reduction, was presented to Council by the Community and Protective Services Committee which approved the plan in January.

However, the acceptance of the entire plan was a contentious issue for several councillors. Most were in agreement with about 90 percent of the plan. The controversy came from two recommendations in particular, 14 and 15. Read more »

Check out the photos from the Dish on Dignity, an event hosted by Citizens for Public Justice, Canada Without Poverty and the Dignity for All Campaign. The Dish on Dignity brought together parliamentarians, social justice advocates and low income folks for a conversation about the reality of poverty in Canada and ways to eliminate it. Read more »

As I approach the half-way point in my internship with CPJ I would like to reflect on the last five months. The activities in which I have been involved have been very helpful in terms of my own personal and professional development, and many have been helpful in promoting CPJ’s work in a variety of areas. Most of my work can be divided into the following categories: office collaboration, research, website content and connections. Read more »

Last week the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) released a report Is EI working for Canada’s unemployed? Analyzing the Great Recession, by Andrew Jackson and Sylvain Schetagne. The report, part of the Alternative Federal Budget project, evaluates the state of Canada’s Employment Insurance system. In preparation for the release of Budget 2010, the CCPA is calling for an extension of benefits for EI. Read more »

On Monday, January 25 I attended an all day seminar hosted by Metropolis called “Welcoming Communities: How could Canadian communities be more welcoming?” The focus of this seminar was on efforts from a variety of sectors to welcome newcomers into Canadian communities.

An important element in making newcomers feel welcome is engaging the general population. Public education and awareness campaigns or proactive efforts to connect newcomers with Canadian residents are important. Education can help people understand one another while addressing concerns surrounding growing diversity and multiculturalism in Canada. Both government and non-government sectors need to be involved. Read more »

Last week Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced that, in light of the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti, the government will explore options for fast tracking Haitian applicants. Since then, Kenney has been refining these options.

In general, both the Haitian community in Canada and refugee advocacy organizations such as the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) are grateful for the immediate response of the government to the crisis, and the emphasis on humanitarian and family immigration. But these same communities and groups feel that these actions are not enough, particularly considering the definition of immediate family. Read more »

Last year as part of Budget 2009, the government adopted a stimulus package to help boost the economy, which included increases to Working and Child tax benefits. However, the package was far from complete, especially concerning the most vulnerable Canadians - those living in poverty, many of whom have incomes too low to qualify for the tax benefits.  

Poverty was not even mentioned in the budget although these concerns are often most dire in times of economic crisis. Increased job losses coupled with already low incomes and insufficient social assistance has devastated so many across the country. Budget 2009 did not identify these specific problems, nor did it propose a strategy for poverty reduction in Canada. Read more »