Thank you. My apologies.
On May 22, we, along with campaign co-founder, Canada Without Poverty, announced the official start of Dignity for All: The Campaign for a Poverty-free Canada. Dignity for All is built on a number of shared beliefs. We believe that freedom from poverty is a human right. We believe in equality among all people. We believe that everyone is entitled to social and economic security. We believe in dignity for all. We also believe that now is the time to end poverty in Canada.
We are asking for concrete and long-term action on the part of the federal government to fight the structural causes of poverty in Canada. Dignity for All has three objectives. We want a federal plan to eliminate poverty that will complement provincial and territorial plans. We want federal anti-poverty legislation that will demonstrate a lasting federal commitment to action and accountability. And we also sufficient federal revenue to invest in social security for all Canadians.
Dignity for All is a collective initiative. To date--that is in the space of just two weeks--we have received the support of over 55 organizations as well as almost 500 individual Canadians. Our support base is growing. We understand that as elected officials you need public support for your efforts. Dignity for All will provide this public groundswell for moving poverty elimination up the political agenda.
Before moving on, I also wish to acknowledge that among the campaign's supporters are MPs Tony Martin and Mike Savage, as well as Senator Hugh Segal. We encourage all members of the HUMA committee and your parliamentary colleagues to sign on today in support of Dignity for All at www.dignityforall.ca. I have postcards here as well that I will be happy to distribute afterwards.
I just want to speak for a minute on a couple of concepts that are behind this important initiative.
First, I want to talk about dignity. Dignity is a core concept for what it means to be human. For the youngest members of society, living with dignity is having the freedom to enjoy childhood. It is not having to worry about adult arguments over money or whether you'll have winter boots that fit and keep you warm. For an adult, living with dignity is being able to provide for yourself and your family. It is having the confidence to face the challenges of life. It is knowing that you won't be refused service. Dignity is being able to sleep at night in warmth and comfort, unencumbered by concerns for basic survival. For everyone, young and old, living with dignity is being part of the community, taking pride in your accomplishments, and being valued for who you are.
Poverty robs people of their dignity. It forces unconscionable decisions between buying the groceries or paying the rent. It manifests itself in shame, doubt, and fear. And it is a daily reality for far too many Canadians.
So what are we to do? Love for our neighbour and respect for their dignity calls us to work to eliminate poverty. In doing so, we are faithful to God's vision of Jubilee as laid out in the book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. The Jubilee principles, which called for periodic redistribution of the means of production and the opportunity for everyone to participate in the economy on an equal footing, are still relevant today. They suggest that it is not enough to provide charity to those living in poverty. Instead, we must create public practices and policies that ensure people have the means to exercise a sustainable livelihood that provides a liveable income. They require that we make sure everyone has access to income and the resources necessary for well-being, even when we cannot secure all we need through paid work.
Public justice is the political dimension of loving one's neighbour, caring for creation, and achieving the common good, and it is particularly the responsibility of government and citizens. Public justice means that one of the roles of government is to create policies, programs, and structures that reduce poverty and that equitably redistribute resources in society so that all people and all parts of society can flourish and fulfill their callings by contributing to the common good.
Human rights are founded on the basis of dignity. Poverty is a condition that violates these rights as laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the international human rights conventions. Poverty impedes people's access to the basic resources necessary for well-being, including adequate and sufficient food and clothing as well as safe and appropriate housing. Poverty is also an important social determinant of health.
In 2006 the Human Rights Council of the United Nations was mandated to “undertake a universal periodic review...of the fulfillment by each State of its human rights obligations and commitments.” As I trust many of you know, Canada has been under review this year and is in fact delivering its response to the Human Rights Council in Geneva today.
Among the 68 recommendations presented for the Government of Canada to consider was the recommendation that Canada implement a national poverty eradication strategy that incorporates a human rights framework. Unfortunately, this recommendation, along with several others dealing specifically with economic and social rights, was rejected. This regrettable response not only fails Canadian citizens, it also undermines the work of this committee and others in your efforts to determine the appropriate role of the federal government in combatting poverty in Canada.
Six Canadian provinces have either implemented or are developing poverty reduction strategies. The significant advances at the provincial level have been accompanied by an urgent call repeated in at least three provinces. Shawn Skinner, former Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment in Newfoundland and Labrador, and Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, have both said that provincial strategies will only be successful if the federal government supports them. Most recently, Manitoba's strategy, released May 21, explicitly states that “the federal government must be a willing partner.”
Perhaps more compelling than the call for federal engagement is the fact that existing provincial strategies are already making a difference. They are coordinating government programs and eliminating counterproductive practices, publicly reporting on progress, and agreeing to be held accountable for their actions.
By 2007, those living on social assistance in Quebec and in Newfoundland and Labrador had already seen some improvements. According to the National Council of Welfare, in the case of the lone parent with a child of preschool age living in Quebec, welfare income for 2007 reached 100% of the market basket measure. Similarly, in Newfoundland and Labrador, welfare income slightly surpassed the MBM at 103%. These figures are particularly noteworthy when set against findings in provinces without poverty reduction strategies, where the same demographic has a welfare income in the range of 65% to 90% of MBM.
As you have heard in many of the presentations over the last weeks and months, Canadians share the view that the federal government has a critical role to play in addressing poverty and that now is the time to act. Based on our 45-year history of promoting public justice in Canada, Citizens for Public Justice would like to make five recommendations.
Recommendation 1 states that the Government of Canada should adopt the target of eliminating poverty in Canada by 2020, along with the vision of creating a Canada that promises dignity, well-being, and social inclusion for all.
Recommendation 2 states that the Government of Canada should reconsider its response to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and instead adopt and implement a comprehensive, integrated federal plan for poverty elimination that incorporates a human rights framework.
A federal plan for poverty elimination will provide a pan-Canadian blueprint for reducing and eventually eliminating poverty. The plan will be built on the four cornerstones of an effective poverty reduction strategy as outlined by the National Council of Welfare, namely, a vision with measurable targets and timelines, a plan of action and budget, accountability structures, and an agreed upon set of poverty indicators.
The plan will contain measures concerning a range of issues, including, but not limited to, the assurance that all Canadian workers receive a living wage. As a first step, the federal government should demonstrate its leadership by ensuring that all of its employees as well as employees of all its contracted services, agencies, or businesses meet the same standard. Similarly, in its area of jurisdiction, it should legislate a national living wage.
The plan should also include measures to ensure social security for all Canadians, even when they cannot secure all they need through paid work, and immediate improvements to employment insurance, including: standard access rules across the country, set at 360 hours of insurable employment; doubling the available length of benefits from a maximum of 50 weeks to a maximum of 100 weeks; removing the two-week waiting period; raising the rate of coverage from 55% to 60% of insurable earnings; and extending participation to the self-employed.
It should also include a genuine national child care and early learning plan that is affordable and accessible to all Canadians, and targeted supports for aboriginal Canadians, newcomers and refugees, and other vulnerable populations.
Thank you.