Child poverty – this is not as good as it gets
by LAUREL ROTHMAN and ARMINE YALNIZYAN
Special to Globe and Mail Update
May 8, 2007 at 12:37 AM EDT
Canada's child and family poverty rate is down to 11.7 per cent in the latest Statistics Canada report, released last week. So why aren't anti-poverty activists breaking out the bubbly?
Because
that rate is exactly what it was in 1989, when parliamentarians unanimously
declared it unacceptable, vowing to eliminate child poverty by the
year 2000.
It is always welcome news when the child poverty rate turns downward,
but it's not time to celebrate something that was unacceptable a few
years ago. In 1989, the Canadian economy had just begun to climb out
of its deepest recession since the 1930s. Today, the economy is firing
on all cylinders in most parts of the country, and it's been that way
for years. Why such willingness to write off the fortunes of almost
12 per cent of this generation of children in a country that's enjoying
such economic fortune? We don't believe this as good as it gets.
The sobering reality is that in Canada more than three-quarters of a million children live in poverty. That's about one in eight children. Some people call that a victory. We beg to differ.
Canada has a $1.3-trillion economy. It has doubled, in real terms, over the past 25 years, making it the ninth-largest in the world. Unemployment is at a 30-year low. That means Canadians are working. In fact, they are working harder than ever. We are all contributing to Canada's growing economy. Even the poorest among us are working more. Yet, one in every three low-income children has a parent working full-time all year, and it's still not enough to pull them out of poverty. A sizzling economy and plentiful jobs aren't enough to pull poverty rates down to those enjoyed in many countries with less robust economies.
In its latest report on income
distribution, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives found that,
although the economic pie is bigger and there is indisputably more
affluence in the land, Canada's poorest families are earning less than
they did a generation ago.
In stark contrast, the richest 10 per cent of Canadian families are
enjoying a cool (inflation-adjusted) 30-per-cent increase in their
income compared to a generation ago.
The average earnings of the richest 10 per cent of families are now
82 times those of the poorest 10 per cent. A generation ago, they made
31 times more than the poorest.
The result is that Canada's after-tax income gap between the richest and poorest 10 per cent of families raising children is at its highest level in 30 years. The gap is growing and we are leaving our poorest behind.
And those who are poor are experiencing a deeper level of poverty today than before. A typically "poor" two-parent family needs an additional $9,100 just to reach the poverty line.
Government
support makes a difference. Programs such as unemployment insurance
and social assistance, which have seen deep cuts, still prevent the
freefall of many of our poorest families. The National Child Benefit
makes a bigger difference to poor families than a decade ago.
Yet, simply stated, our governments are not doing enough.
If we, as a nation, refuse to tackle poverty during one of the most economically flush eras of the past century, when are we likely to take the challenge? During the next recession? There is a huge cohort of Canadians poised to retire in the coming decade. Are we really ready to write off every eighth child, permit them to develop into adulthood without adequate investments in their health, welfare and development? We will need every single one of these children to help support us in 15 to 20 years.
These children represent our future, the best of this country's expectations for progress. There is no time to waste. It's time for a cross-Canada comprehensive, long-term poverty reduction strategy.
Newfoundland and Quebec are showing it can be done provincially. These provinces are investing in family income support programs, training and education, child care, and affordable housing — the type of investments that other countries have found successful in reducing poverty rates. Canadians have told pollsters that these are precisely the measures they want governments to take to reduce poverty and growing income inequality.
Can we afford it? Yes. But we need political leadership to make it happen. Canada's economy is chugging away, continuing to surpass expectations quarter after quarter. The federal government has committed to spend $35-billion in surplus funds over the next three years for other things, but not a dime is going to reduce poverty.
We didn't accept child poverty as a sustainable option in 1989. We shouldn't accept it now.
Laurel Rothman works at Family Service Association of Toronto, where she is co-ordinator of Campaign 2000. Armine Yalnizyan is a research fellow with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
