Sir, the floor is yours. You have about five minutes or however much time you need.
Thank you.
The Face of Poverty Consultation is an interfaith group that seeks to increase public awareness of poverty issues and to promote action by governments to improve the situation in Nova Scotia. We are pleased to be able to make this presentation today.
Poverty is an issue in good times, and even more so in the current economic downturn. We focus on four areas where federal action can alleviate the problems of those in poverty in Canada while recognizing the importance of other issues, including global warming, foreign aid to developing countries, and financial regulation in the current global context, all of which could have an impact on our poverty in Canada.
Our first issue is much in the news but bears repetition: the reform of the employment insurance system to increase access and reduce discrimination. Increasing access can be achieved by a reduction in the number of hours of work required to be eligible for support. Reducing discrimination means having common standards re hours of work and benefits across the country.
We support the suggestion that the number of hours of work be standardized to 360 hours, down from the range of 420 to 700 hours currently in effect across the country. In a period when economic stimulus is essential to prevent a downturn, it is clear that EI payments will be spent and not saved. I'd like to emphasize that point, because the stimulus effect of expenditures by the federal government is an important component today, and I don't think there's anything that would be spent faster than increases in EI, because obviously the people will spend the money.
Our second issue relates to housing. The first report cart on ending homelessness in HRM, which I'm waving in front of me, the “Halifax Report Card on Homelessness 2009”, was produced by Community Action on Homelessness for the period of January 1 to December 31. I think you heard from them earlier today. It shows clearly the need for more affordable housing, including accommodation for those who cannot maintain housing independently and who require a form of group housing. They don't use that term, but that was the term I grew up with.
Group housing is important. As shown in the report, many of the people who are homeless have mental and other physical problems that make it very difficult for them to run what we might call a standard house. This is an area where federal financial support is critical and needs to be increased, with suitable pressure on the province to do its part.
Our third issue is early child care. While there is some tax relief for child care payments by parents, this is of no benefit to those in poverty who do not make enough to pay income tax. A similar problem arises with respect to the tax credit for children in the sports program. The federal government should work with the province to develop a program for support of children that includes all children, irrespective of their parents' income.
One of the things we do at the Face of Poverty Consultation is have an annual service on the anniversary of the promise in Parliament in 1989 that we'd eliminate child poverty. Well, that's still a goal that we might look for: to eliminate child poverty.
Our fourth issue is the progressiveness of the federal tax system. Some studies show that when all aspects of the tax system are examined, the tax system loses those progressive features it has at high incomes. At the same time, inequality of incomes is increasing, not just in Canada but globally.
These are difficult issues at the national level, but federal policy is essential to provide support for those on lower incomes, while increasing taxes on those with high incomes and wealth.
Those are my four points.