Let's envision Canada without poverty

What is poverty? What are its symptoms and causes? If someone’s basic needs are not met, can they live with dignity? What can governments do to reduce poverty? How do we engage our Members of Parliament on poverty issues? These were some of the challenging questions CPJ asked as we dialogued with people about poverty in Canada and suggested ways of fighting against poverty.

In coordination with our Envisioning Canada Without Poverty campaign, CPJ took to the road during May and hosted workshops in Ottawa, Halifax, London, Winnipeg and Edmonton to explore a national poverty reduction strategy and empower citizens to engage in advocacy.

There were many good discussions among almost 150 diverse participants, including people from faith communities, those working in policy, anti-poverty activists, CPJ members, students and those new to issues of poverty. It was especially encouraging to see young people at the workshops, for they will be the future leaders tackling poverty issues. The different perspectives from this range of participants enriched and broadened the discussions of the impact of poverty.

A complex issue

During the workshops, we looked at poverty as an issue of dignity and rights in relation to well-being. As Christians, we are called to respect the dignity of each human being. In practice, this means we should promote the well-being of others by ensuring that everyone’s rights are respected and basic needs are met.

As we challenged people to think about the symptoms and causes of poverty, we saw that poverty is more than just low income. Poverty can include not being able to afford groceries, not having access to child care, having no hope for the future, social exclusion and lack of affordable housing.

The complexity of poverty requires a comprehensive solution to address various causal factors. While we need to address the symptoms of poverty, it is important to tackle the root causes to stop cycles of poverty.

During the workshops, we explored how governments – the federal government in particular – can play a strong role in addressing these root causes. We discussed how a national poverty reduction strategy could successfully fight poverty with a long term vision of targets and goals, action plans with supporting budgets, accountability structures and poverty indicators to measure success and failures.

Through such a comprehensive program, the federal government could begin to address the crippling effects poverty has had on Canadians across the country. At each workshop location, people identified issues surrounding affordable housing, income security, and education. As we traveled, we heard these issues being raised again and again – confirming the fact that poverty truly is a national issue that needs to be addressed at the federal level of government.

One of the workshop highlights was hearing people speak honestly of their advocacy experiences and share their doubts and success stories. Personal stories can contribute to successful advocacy as we spend time with and walk alongside those living in poverty. While some participants had been actively engaged in anti-poverty advocacy and others had never spoken to their MP, our goal was to empower people to get involved in advocacy by writing a letter or visiting their MP, asking them to work toward a federal poverty reduction strategy.

We concluded by identifying other ways of getting involved in the fight against poverty, such as holding letter writing campaigns, organizing an MP forum, writing letters to newspapers to raise awareness of poverty, volunteering in local organizations and sharing what you have learned with others by talking to your friends and family about poverty issues in the community.

Call to action

It is important to take action on poverty and not be immobilized by the overwhelming task at hand. Advocacy is an ongoing process; change does not come in a day. We must persist, for we have a duty to work toward a society in which all people can flourish and fulfill their callings, contributing to the common good. God’s call for love, justice and compassion should motivate us to advocate for those experiencing injustice.

Since our workshops, we have followed up with MPs Glen Pearson and Irene Mathyssen to talk about poverty reduction strategies. We encourage you to continue to write letters or meet with your MP, asking them to commit to eliminating poverty by implementing a national poverty reduction strategy. Visit www.canadawithoutpoverty.ca for information on how you can take action.

Our hope is that together we can work toward God’s vision of a society without poverty.

the Catalyst, Summer 2008, Vol. 31 No. 3