Response to Ottawa Citizen's Editorial
Date: November 30, 2007
Dear Editor:
Our national 2007 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty released in Ottawa this week shows clearly that child and family poverty rates have fallen since 1996 - and just as clearly that rates rose substantially from 1989 to a peak in 1996, and have since come back to 1989 levels. Campaign 2000 reports the change in relation to 1989 - and always has - because we take our name and our mission from 1989 all-party resolution of the House of Commons to bring an end to child poverty in Canada. If 1989 levels were enough to motivate all parties in the House of Commons to commit to change eighteen years ago, then the fact that we are back at 1989 levels warrants determined action now.
Debating measures is a great way to avoid actually talking about poverty. No indicator is perfect, but Canadians can judge for themselves what it is like to live below the income levels established under Statistics Canada's low-income cutoff (LICO). For those living in a city like Ottawa, with over 500,000 in population, the cutoffs are $20,956 for a family of two; $32,556 for a family of four; $41,113 for a family of six. Stats Can data shows the majority of low-income families are struggling on incomes thousands of dollars below these cutoffs.
Campaign 2000 does not advocate for funding for any of our 120 partner organizations across Canada, but we do think Canada can do better than leaving families to raise children on inadequate incomes. In this time of prosperity, if, as a nation, we share the burden of raising this generation, we will reap economic, social and human benefits in the years ahead.
Ann Decter
National Coordinator, Campaign 2000
Interim Director of Social Reform
Family Service Association of Toronto
