Merci.
Good morning. Bonjour.
Citizens for Public Justice is a national organization of members inspired by faith to seek justice in Canadian public policy. We are pleased to have the opportunity to appear before this standing committee on the subject of the federal government's role in addressing poverty.
I would first like to offer my congratulations to the HUMA committee on behalf of CPJ for the work that you are doing and to offer our prayers and best wishes for the success of your efforts.
Despite Canada's considerable affluence and resources, poverty continues to be a significant concern. At least one in 10 Canadians currently lives in poverty, and this rate has not changed substantially over the past 25 years.
Now that we are in a recession, the most vulnerable Canadians are at even greater risk. Already people working full time at minimum wage are living in poverty, as measured by the low-income cutoff. The poor are the first to lose their jobs and find it harder to get new work. Social assistance and employment insurance are inadequate to prevent people from living in poverty. As the Canadian economy continues to slump, it is clear that the difficulties faced by poor Canadians will increase, and more Canadians will slide into poverty.