By Rebekah Sears | Monday, March 15th, 2010 - 3:08PM
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Until very recently, the United States Government has been using measures developed in the 1960s to determine the number of people living in poverty. Developed under President Johnson in 1963 and 64, these concepts may be a little outdated, to say the least!
But last week, according to the New York Times, President Obama decided to look into new measures of poverty to potentially replace those developed under President Johnson. Read more »
Poverty continues to be a significant problem within Canada. To address this issue several provinces and municipalities, including Ottawa, have developed poverty reduction strategies. As poverty is most visible at the local level, municipalities must play a role in reduction. However, they cannot succeed alone. The participation of the federal government is crucial in order to set national standards, offer support and direct resources. Action, however, has remained firmly in the domain of municipalities and provinces. When will the federal government step up and take strong action to eliminate poverty in Canada? Read more »
By Rebekah Sears | Friday, March 12th, 2010 - 10:39AM
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Earlier this week Chandra and I attended a reception hosted by Equal Voice, in celebration of their Experiences mentorship program. Equal Voice is an organization that works in partnership with women in elected positions at all levels of government to encourage women across Canada to become more involved in politics.
Currently only 21% of elected officials in all levels of government in Canada are women. Just 22% of the Members of Parliament in the House of Commons are women. This ranks Canada 49th out of 189 countries, including under several developing countries. The current Federal Ministry has one of the highest proportions of women of any Cabinet, but still only 11 out of 37 (less than half) are women. Read more »
By Chandra Pasma | Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 - 3:45PM
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The Globe and Mail reported today that Canada is facing a jobless recovery, as businesses are not expecting to hire in 2010 and public sector positions are being eliminated.
The article quotes Sébastien Lavoie, assistant chief economist at Laurentian Bank Securities, who predicts that we will see employment restored to its pre-recession level in 2011. Read more »
By Rebekah Sears | Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 - 12:57PM
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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 »
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 »
By Rebekah Sears | Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 - 1:56PM
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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 »
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 »
By Kathy Vandergrift and Citizens for Public Justice | Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
The Prime Minister sent our MPs home to recalibrate the government agenda. The break was 20 workdays, he said.
If you could set the agenda for 2010 during this pause, what would your list of the 20 most important policy concerns include?
CPJ has come up with a list of 20 key policy questions, one for each day. We believe these issues should be debated by MPs, the voice of the people, to set directions for Canada. Read more »
Poverty continues to be a significant problem within Canada. To address this issue several provinces and municipalities, including Ottawa, have developed poverty reduction strategies. As poverty is most visible at the local level, municipalities must play a role in reduction. However, they cannot succeed alone. The participation of the federal government is crucial in order to set national standards, offer support and direct resources. Action, however, has remained firmly in the domain of municipalities and provinces. When will the federal government step up and take strong action to eliminate poverty in Canada? 
The Prime Minister sent our MPs home to recalibrate the government agenda. The break was 20 workdays, he said.
