Thank you, Chair Rajotte and honourable members of the committee, for allowing us to present today.
My name is Harriett McLachlan. I'm the president of the board of directors of Canada Without Poverty. It's a board that's made up of individuals who have lived the experience of poverty.
Before I get to my recommendations, I'd like you to know that I have a master's degree in social work and I have worked with various population groups, many of whom have lived in poverty and experienced poverty. Even though I'm a professional, I've lived 35 years in poverty. I've lived 10 years with rats and I've scrambled to make ends meet and to eat. I want to say that as a preface.
That said, there are four recommendations we want to make today.
One is to direct resources for creating and implementing a federal plan for poverty elimination that's based on our human rights obligations, a plan that complements provincial and territorial plans and sets targets and timelines for poverty reduction and elimination.
The second is to establish a low-income refundable tax credit equal to the gap between a person's total income and the value of the low-income measure of applicable households.
The third is to create an anti-poverty competitiveness tax force and an anti-poverty impact test similar to the business impact test now done by departments to evaluate regulations and regulatory burden.
The fourth, in anticipation of the significant spike of food prices due to the catastrophic 2012 North American drought, is to establish a special national emergency fund for food security to assist low-income individuals and families in meeting their food requirements.
Within that scope, I'd like to remind this committee that the federal government's obligation is to, in part, fulfill the Constitution Act, which in part III says that without altering any legislative authority, the government will promote equal opportunities for the well-being of Canadians, furthering economic development, reducing disparity of opportunities, and providing essential public services of reasonable quality to all Canadians. What must be noted here is that it is the duty of the federal government to do so.
I think what's also important is that when we think of putting in place some measures and strategies, we must start with those who are most vulnerable, those who are living in poverty, those who are on the fringes of society.
Thank you. I am open to questions.