Today on the 20th anniversary of Parliament’s unanimous resolution to eliminate child poverty in Canada, children continue to be left behind as low income Canadians struggle to make ends meet, Liberal MPs said today.
“A Liberal government is committed to reducing poverty by ensuring that every child, no matter where they live in Canada, has an equal start with affordable, accessible early learning and childcare,” said Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.
“The Conservatives are more focused on pork barreling and self-promotion than helping Canadians in need,” said Human Resources Critic Mike Savage. “Too many of our youth, young families, immigrant and visible minority groups have to rely on food banks and social assistance without access to the affordable housing and child care they need to get on track.”
According to recent statistics, 1 in 9 Canadian children still live in poverty, but these numbers do not include children in shelters, in the Territories or on reserves. In First Nations and Inuit communities the numbers are considerably higher, with 1 in 4 children growing up in poverty. Food bank usage has increased 10 percent since March 2008, with 37 percent of all those assisted being children.
“The previous Liberal government’s framework for a universal child care program was dismantled by the Conservatives – and working families know that $1,200 a year is not enough to cover the high cost of child care,” added Mr. Savage.
Canada ranks among the bottom rung of developed countries for federal investment in early childhood development and the percentage of children in regulated spaces, with a significant drop in new spaces created under the Conservative government.
The percentage of Canadians living in poverty declined under the previous Liberal government from 16% in 1996 to 11% in 2005 – lifting 1 million Canadians out of poverty. The National Child Benefit established by the previous Liberal government was the single most important contributor to the decline in child poverty in recent years, a legacy that the Kelowna Accord sought to build on by reducing First Nations’ poverty.
