On Dignity

Worth. Honour. Respect.

These terms are all included in the Oxford Encyclopedic English Dictionary definition of dignity. Several others could easily be added: integrity, virtue, self-esteem, independence, pride, strength.

Dignity. It the basis for who we are as human beings and it is the foundation of international human rights agreements. But how does it translate into our daily lives?

For the youngest members of society, living with dignity is having the freedom to enjoy childhood. It is not having to worry about adult arguments over money or whether you’ll have winter boots that fit and keep you warm. Dignity is being able to attend your friend’s birthday party – and bringing a present.

For an adult, living with dignity is being able to provide for yourself and your family. It is having the confidence to face the challenges of life, it is knowing that you won’t be refused service, it is being able to sleep at night in warmth and comfort, unencumbered by concerns of basic survival.

For everyone, young and old, living with dignity is being part of a community, taking pride in your accomplishments, and being valued for who you are.

Poverty robs people of their dignity. It forces unconscionable decisions between buying the groceries or paying the rent. It manifests itself in shame, doubt, and fear. And yet, it is a daily reality for far too many Canadians. Many others currently sit on the brink, not sure if they will have jobs through to the end of the month, if they’ll have the means to retire, or if they’ll have to tell their daughter that she must forgo the next session of swimming lessons.

It is therefore in a context of great anticipation that Minister Flaherty will deliver the 2009 Federal Budget on January 27th. Over the last several weeks, CPJ, along with many of our colleague organizations, has provided many recommendations to the government for this important budget.

In CPJ’s call for a visionary stimulus package (December 8) we said that such a package “should be designed to limit unemployment and strengthen the stability of families, create a more ecologically sensitive infrastructure, and construct a fairer, thus more secure, global economy.”

In our December 17 letter to Minister Flaherty, we elaborated on this call and emphasized the need for a federal poverty reduction strategy with policies for environmentally sustainable affordable housing, a doubling of the Working Income Tax Benefit, Employment Insurance reform, a national child care and early learning plan, and a recommitment to the 1989 resolution to end child poverty in Canada.

Most recently, our Alternative Speech from the Throne (January 12), imagined that “[t]he agenda for this 41st Session will use the gifts of every parliamentarian to ensure that by the end of this recession, Canada becomes a stronger nation, a more equitable society, and a better steward of our natural and human resources.” Here again, we emphasized social, economic and political reforms, environmental stewardship, and global peace with justice.

Behind each of these statements is a fundamental concern for the rights of Canadians citizens – and for the dignity of all.

We firmly believe that in order to promote the worth, honour, and respect of all Canadians, that the upcoming budget needs to address poverty in Canada. Unfortunately, we are concerned that our recommendations may not be heard, that our suggestions will not be taken into account, and that the needs of the most vulnerable Canadians will be left out of the budget.

So what can we do? We can continue to love our neighbours, to seek justice and to live our faith. We can also continue to question, to push, and to advocate for change.

CPJ is hosting pre-budget workshops in Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto and Whitby on addressing poverty in Canada.

Join us as we examine poverty from the perspective of human dignity, explore a federal poverty reduction strategy, and offer empowering ways that you can engage with your government and involve your faith community as we work to build a poverty-free Canada based on dignity for all.

Kitchener-Waterloo: Thursday, January 22, from 7:00 to 9:30pm, at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 825 King Street, West. This event is being co-hosted by the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary and the Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition.

Toronto: Friday, January 23 from 1:30 to 3:30pm at Church of the Holy Trinity, 10 Trinity Square. This event is being co-hosted by the Anglican Diocese of Toronto.

Whitby: Saturday, January 24 from 10am to 12:30pm, at Hebron Christian Reformed Church, 4240 Anderson Street. This event is being co-hosted by the Deacons of Hebron Church.

For more information contact Mariel Angus at 1-800-667-8046, ext. 229 or mariel@cpj.ca.