Evidence of meeting #208 for Finance in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was payment.
A video is available from Parliament.
6:15 p.m.
NDP
Pierre-Luc Dusseault NDP Sherbrooke, QC
Do you think it would be possible to establish housing as a right in this legislation?
May 6th, 2019 / 6:15 p.m.
Senior Vice President, Policy, Research and Public Affairs, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
I think we've struck a good balance in the bill. We conducted consultations across Canada over several months starting in March, and the bill is consistent with what we heard from the Canadians and groups consulted.
6:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
If there are no further questions, I will thank all of you for a very fruitful discussion. I think it was a very interesting exchange.
I have to say, Ms. Leach, that you know your stuff. Thank you very much.
6:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
Now we'll turn to division 20, the proposed poverty reduction act, and division 21, the Veterans Well-being Act.
Maybe they'll end up cancelling that vote.
Folks, sorry to just get you to the table and the bells started to ring.
We will have to suspend because it is a 15-minute bell. We'll probably be back in half an hour.
6:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
We shall reconvene, and we'll start with the poverty reduction act.
We have Karen Hall, director general, social policy directorate, and Hugues Vaillancourt, senior director, social development policy division.
The floor is yours.
6:50 p.m.
Karen Hall Director General, Social Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
Good evening. Thank you for the chance to be here today.
As the committee knows, on August 21, 2018, the government released “Opportunity for All - Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy”. The poverty reduction act included in the BIA legislates the commitments made in that strategy. The legislation proposes to set an official measure of poverty: Canada's official poverty line.
Canada's official poverty line is based on the cost of a basket of goods and services that individuals and families require to meet their basic needs and achieve a modest standard of living in communities across the country. This will provide the government with a measure of poverty to track progress towards the strategies to concrete targets for poverty reduction by 2020, reducing the poverty rate by 20% from its 2015 level and, by 2030, reducing the poverty rate by 50% from its 2015 level.
These targets have been included in the legislation. Also included in the legislation is the national advisory council on poverty. The advisory council, should the legislation pass, will have the mandate to advise the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development on poverty reduction and to table a report in Parliament each year on the progress that has been made towards poverty reduction.
Thank you.
6:55 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Do you have a list of everything that's in the market basket?
6:55 p.m.
Director General, Social Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
I don't have that with me today, but I could certainly provide it to the committee.
The market basket measure is calculated by Statistics Canada.
6:55 p.m.
Conservative
6:55 p.m.
Director General, Social Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
There is a review under way at this point in time. We are expecting that the basket will be updated for the release of the Canadian income survey next year.
6:55 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
So it will be updated in time to include the basic income survey data in it.
6:55 p.m.
Director General, Social Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
Yes.
6:55 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Who will approve the final composition of the list of basket items?
6:55 p.m.
Director General, Social Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
Statistics Canada is responsible for the statistical element of the basket and Employment and Social Development Canada is responsible for the policy content of the basket.
6:55 p.m.
Conservative
6:55 p.m.
Director General, Social Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
It's a joint effort between the two departments.
6:55 p.m.
Conservative
6:55 p.m.
Director General, Social Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
I think that remains to be determined.
Certainly the statistical portion is within the ambit of the chief statistician, so that falls fully within the purview of Statistics Canada.
6:55 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
What is the criteria for determining what gets into the basket and what doesn't?
6:55 p.m.
Director General, Social Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
I think it depends a little on which element we're speaking about. For example, questions of statistical methodology related to—
6:55 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
That's not what I'm looking for. I'm asking about the items that are in the basket.
What are the criteria to determine what items are in the basket?
6:55 p.m.
Director General, Social Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
Well, Statistics Canada is responsible for the statistical element and the policy elements are for ESDC.