CPJ partner organization unveils new name

Published in the Catalyst, Vol. 32, No. 1 - Winter 2009

On Tuesday February 3, over 40 people gathered at the main branch of the Ottawa Public Library for an exciting event.

The National Anti-Poverty Organization (NAPO) launched their new public name – Canada Without Poverty (CWP) – and their newly revised logo. CPJ staff members Joe Gunn, Chandra Pasma, Karri Munn-Venn and Mariel Angus attended the event to show support for Canada Without Poverty, a long-standing partner of CPJ.

The event was well attended by a mix of low-income citizens and individuals from social justice organizations. Representatives from the Canadian Autoworkers Union, the Canadian Council on Social Development and the National Council of Welfare were present, as well as NDP MP Tony Martin and Liberal MP Larry Bagnell.

The evening began with CWP Associate Director Kelly Law warmly welcoming all who came out in support of the organization. Michael Creek, a CWP board member, then shared his moving personal story of surviving 14 years of living in poverty.

Rob Rainer, Director of CWP, spoke eloquently about the significance of the change of name and logo. The new name, Canada Without Poverty, is intended to convey a renewed focus for the organization in its work combating poverty. Their new logo, an image of a sun rising above darkness, is meant to suggest an individual rising out of poverty.

Rob spoke of NAPO/CWP’s history and the many past victories and challenges it has experienced while advocating on behalf of low-income Canadians. He outlined the forthcoming Dignity for All Campaign, a joint initiative with CPJ, which will highlight poverty as an affront to human dignity and a violation of the human right to security. The campaign will aim to reduce and eliminate poverty in Canada by the year 2020.

While the campaign will be officially launched at the Canadian Social Forum in May, the evening offered an opportunity for national advocates and community members to gather together, show support for CWP’s ongoing struggle to end poverty, and learn about the upcoming campaign.

The Dignity for All campaign will be the largest initiative CPJ and CWP have taken on together, but it is by no means the first. CPJ has enjoyed a positive working relationship with NAPO over the past few years. CPJ and NAPO partnered together to organize the 2008 Feeding Change dinner, which brought together MPs, social justice advocates and people living in poverty for a successful dialogue about poverty. CPJ participated with NAPO in the Guaranteed Livable Income Working Group, exploring how a guaranteed livable income might be implemented in Canada.

The last speaker of the evening was CPJ board chair Kathy Vandergrift, who expressed her appreciation for NAPO’s past work and shared her thoughts on the upcoming campaign. She highlighted the importance of how the campaign will frame poverty as an issue of human rights and dignity, saying that “dignity for all is a theme that can unite diverse groups” in the fight against poverty.

Kathy also spoke of CPJ’s excitement at the prospect of working together with CWP on the campaign. “A promise – if we do justice, things will go well in our land – lies at the core of this campaign for CPJ. We are eager to work with a new, revised NAPO – Canada Without Poverty – and we extend best wishes to everyone involved with NAPO for the next phase in the life of this organization.”

The evening was a celebration of NAPO’s past work and a chance to reflect on our collective responsibility to combat poverty in Canada. We look forward to launching the Dignity for All campaign with CWP in May and hope that, working together, we can realize our goal of a poverty-free Canada.