Tag: Canada Without Poverty

CWP gives SK Poverty Reduction Plan a failing grade

Canada Without Poverty gives Saskatchewan’s Poverty Reduction Plan a failing grade

Poverty Free Saskatchewan is highlighting a national assessment that shows Saskatchewan is much behind other provinces in its efforts to eliminate poverty.

Canada Without Poverty (CWP) recently issued its annual progress profiles on all Canadian province and territories poverty plans. The 2017 Poverty Progress Profiles report was prepared using a human rights framework with ten success indicators.  http://www.cwp-csp.ca/2018/02/provinces-and-territories-make-limited-progress-on-economic-and-social-rights-report/

In order for a poverty strategy to be based on human rights, CWP says, the plan must meet a number of criteria.

Saskatchewan’s effort in this regard, Taking Action on Poverty: The Saskatchewan Poverty Reduction Strategy, was released by the provincial government in 2016. Its aim was to reduce the number of Saskatchewan people who experience poverty for two years or more by 50 per cent by the end of 2025. https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/news-and-media/2016/february/24/poverty-reduction-strategy

Saskatchewan’s strategy is in compliance with only two of the ten CWP indicators, #2 and #5. It is somewhat in compliance with #6, and not in compliance with the remaining seven.

  1. Ensure human rights training for those involved in developing and implementing the strategy. (*SK – SOMEWHAT*)
  2. Identify and address systemic discrimination and inequality. (*SK – YES*)  
  3. Explicitly refer to human rights obligations. (*SK – NO*)
  4. Be enshrined in the law. (*SK – NO*)
  5. Include representatives of diverse groups experiencing poverty in developing, implementing, and evaluating the strategy. (*SK – YES*)
  6. Set rigorous goals and timelines for achieving identified strategy goals. (*SK – SOMEWHAT*)
  7. Develop transparent mechanisms and indicators to monitor and track progress. (*SK – NO*)
  8. Report annually and publicly on progress. (*SK – NO*)
  9. Be a budget priority. (*SK – NO*)
  10. Create a space for individuals to claim rights and hold their government accountable to the strategy. (*SK – NO*)

CWP also noted that child poverty in Saskatchewan is very high and the poverty level for Indigenous children living off reserve and on reserve is extremely high. The province’s minimum wage is second lowest in Canada. And food insecurity in Northern Saskatchewan is a very serious concern.

The Saskatchewan government has not presented to the public a comprehensive evaluation report on achievement of its poverty reduction goals.

Canada Without Poverty Releases 2015 Poverty Progress Profiles

Canada Without Poverty recently released their 3rd edition of the Poverty Progress Profiles for the Canadian provinces and territories. They are intended to provide the general public, media and policy makers with information on poverty indicators and context so they can get a better sense of what different regions have achieved with regards to poverty.

Link to the profiles: http://www.cwp-csp.ca/poverty/poverty-progress-profiles/

 

New Anti-Poverty Plan Released by Canada Without Poverty

Canada Without Poverty released a new national plan for ending poverty today. Dignity for All: A National Anti-Poverty Plan for Canada was developed after engaging and consulting communities.

The plan calls for the Federal Government to immediately take action to address both the immediate and long-term needs of the 1 in 7 Canadians who live in poverty.

The 6 areas addressed in the plan are:

  • Income security
  • Housing and homelessness
  • Health
  • Food security
  • Early childhood education and care, and
  • Jobs and employment

To read the plan, visit http://www.cwp-csp.ca/2015/02/wehaveaplan-but-do-they/

National ‘Chew On This’ Event – October 17

Dignity for All: The Campaign for a Poverty Free Canada is organizing a campaign which will be held on October 17, 2014 to coincide with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

Across Canada on the lunch hour of October 17th, food bank workers and anti-poverty advocates will be joining together to call for a Federal Anti-Poverty Plan. The group is asking the federal government for systemic change to eradicate poverty and hunger for the 833,000 people in Canada who use food banks each month and for the millions of others struggling to get by.

Instead of handing out a free lunch, volunteers for the ChewOnThis campaign are “brown bagging their call to action.” They will be handing out lunch bags marked “Chew on This!” which will contain an apple along with a magnet and postcard calling people to action to sign on to the call for a plan to end poverty.

For more information: www.chewonthis.ca

Sask & Other Provinces

Canada Without Poverty lists work being done in Canada to address poverty. Poverty Progress Profile Scroll down the page to see where Saskatchewan is listed. If you click on Saskatchewan there is a discussion of the Saskatchewan government’s document “From Dependence to Independence” and content related to the work of Poverty Free Saskatchewan.

CWP subsidies for Congress

Please note that the following is from the Canada Without Poverty list-serve – subscribe for useful information about poverty initiatives in Canada.

“Canada Without Poverty has funds to support the registration of up to 30 Congress attendees in low income, for whom the registration fee would be a barrier.  For those who wish to request the registration subsidy, please send a message to info (at) cwp-csp.ca with the subject line: Request for Subsidy for Registration to the North American Basic Income Congress.  In the body of your message please also provide a brief statement of your interest in the Congress.

Please note that we ask all persons receiving the subsidy to participate in a pre-Congress conference call on April 27th and a post-Congress conference call on May 11th.  In you statement of interest please identify your availability for both conference calls, to take place at 2:00pm Eastern for 90 minutes.

Please apply for the subsidy for the early registration fee by April 12th.  Thank you.

Rob Rainer

Executive Director / Directeur executif

CANADA WITHOUT POVERTY / CANADA SANS PAUVRETÉ

Honorary Directors / Directeurs honoraires

Right (Très) Hon. Joe Clark, Hon. Louise Arbour, Hon. Monique Bégin, Hon. Ed Broadbent, Ovide Mercredi

Ottawa office / Bureau d’Ottawa: @UnderOneRoof, 251 Bank Street, 2nd Floor, Ottawa, ON K2P 1X3; (613) 789-0096 (1-800-810-1076)

Vancouver office / Bureau de Vancouver: (604) 628-0525