Election 2008: Poverty is an issue

One in ten Canadians – more than 3.3 million people – live in poverty. Four million Canadians are also in need of affordable housing. Almost two million Canadians are unemployed, but less than half of them have access to EI. There are real people behind these statistics. They are our neighbours, our children’s classmates, and sometimes, members of our own families.

There are many among us that see the face and share the lived experience of poverty every day. Citizens for Public Justice was among the over 35 organizations convened by the Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD) on Saturday to share inspiration about efforts to address poverty taking place throughout the country. Representatives of local food banks and refugee organizations, provincial anti-poverty networks, national coalitions against child poverty and global human rights organizations came together from Canada. The consensus: poverty is a huge issue and needs to be addressed with a federal poverty reduction strategy. It was humbling and inspiring to be a part of this diverse group; it is also tremendously encouraging to see that, together, we are starting to be heard.

Though not at the top of their election priority list, four of the five major political parties have pledged to address poverty in Canada in their election platform. Both the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party have gone so far as to outline plans for a poverty reduction strategy. The Liberals, NDP, the Green Party and the Bloc Québécois have also proposed measures to address housing and homelessness. Each of the parties has identified additional measures to address poverty.

• The Liberals have proposed the “30-50 Plan to Fight Poverty.” The proposal aims to reduce the number of people living below the poverty line by at least 30 percent, and reduce the number of children living in poverty by at least 50 percent over the course of a five-year term in office, through a series of tax benefits and credits.

  In the area of housing, the Liberals have said they will help to provide for the creation of 30,000 new social housing units, and the refurbishing of another 30,000 existing units to make them more livable. They have also indicated their commitment to the Residential Rehabilitation Program and the Homelessness Partnering Initiative, recently renewed by the Conservative government.

  Finally, they have proposed changes to Employment Insurance, “to be made permanent by legislation” aimed at improving benefit levels and expanding benefit timelines in high-unemployment areas.

• The NDP platform, in turn, proposes “a Poverty Elimination Act to eliminate poverty in Canada by the year 2020,” including targets, reporting and accountability measures. “Initial targets will include reducing child poverty by more than 50 percent and the overall poverty rate by more than 35 percent in the first five years.”

  They also propose the implementation of a “comprehensive and fully-funded affordable housing strategy that meets Canada’s international obligations, as set out by the United Nations” with a 10-year goal of allocating one percent of federal spending for affordable housing.

  The NDP plan for employment insurance would, among other things, increase the proportion of unemployed Canadians who are covered by Employment Insurance to 80 percent. The NDP also pledges to re-establish the national minimum wage and set it immediately at $10 per hour; restore a uniform 22.12% corporate tax rate; establish a national pharmacare program; and make substantial investments in affordable and accessible child care.

• The Green Party has taken a different approach, proposing a serious discussion on the potential of a negative income tax, or a Guaranteed Livable Income (GLI) for all. They believe that poverty could be eliminated by providing “a regular annual payment to every Canadian without regard to a needs- test.” In order to address child poverty specifically, the Greens propose “a comprehensive plan to improve our social safety network,” modeled on successfully implemented European programs.

  The Greens have also proposed the creation of a National Affordable Housing Program that provides sufficient funds annually through the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to community-based agencies across Canada to build 20,000 new subsidized affordable homes and 10,000 rehabilitated affordable units per year for the next ten years using capital grants and changes in tax and mortgage insurance regulations.

  Additional proposals outlined by the Green Party include the elimination of income tax for those earning $20,000 or less, and universal access to quality childcare and early childhood education.

• The central piece of the Bloc’s poverty-related measures is support for coherent social policies which include a National Strategy Against Homelessness, as well as stable, long-term funding for communities organizations. The Bloc has also proposed an independent commission on Employment Insurance to oversee an expanded EI program, that, among other things, would exempt temporary foreign workers.

Notably absent among the policies proposed to address poverty in Canada is the Conservative Party. Health care, child care, and crime are all identified as “key issues”, but they make no mention of poverty in any of their election material released to date.

As Christians we are called to practice justice and compassion, and as Canadians we have been blessed with a level of prosperity that could easily be shared by all. CPJ has called for the federal government’s commitment to designing and implementing a federal poverty reduction strategy, based on consultations with citizens. We believe that the federal government has the responsibility to protect the rights of their citizens and promote the well‐being of communities by investing in affordable housing and providing the necessary funding and infrastructures. CPJ also believes that Canada should implement an income security program for all Canadians.

We are encouraged to see that a number of the strategies proposed by the Liberals, NDP, and Green Party reflect the ideas put forward in CPJ recommendations. Of course, the policies that ultimately get implemented depend on the outcome of the October 14 federal election.

As engaged citizens, it is important that we all do our best to get informed, to go beyond the sound-bites. Candidate debates are currently taking place in communities across the country. The televised Leaders’ Debates are also taking place this week. We encourage you to attend your local debate, ask the candidates to share their vision for Canada, and to remind them that poverty is an issue.

Questions for candidates:

• Do you support adopting a federal strategy to end poverty in Canada that commits the government to achieving a specific, measurable target for poverty reduction supported by a budget and mechanisms of accountability?
• What actions will your party take to ensure a living wage for all workers in Canada?
• What will your party do to ensure that every Canadian has access to affordable housing?

Links for more information

• CPJ’s pre-budget brief to the Standing Committee on Finance
• From Promise to Action: CPJ’s brief to the Human Rights Council’s Review of Canada
• Fighting poverty with policy: MPs share party visions with CPJ
• Housing insecurity: the face of poverty
• Investing in well-being: A guaranteed livable income for Canada