Madam Speaker, according to the most recent statistics available, in 1991, there were 1,883,140 families in Quebec. Of that total, 268,000 were single parent families and, of those, 82 per cent were headed, as you have guessed, by women.
In Canada, the situation is similar; Statistics Canada data indicate that one family out of seven is a single-parent one. Women who are heads of single-parent families are more likely to be poor than men or women living in any other types of families: nearly 62 per cent of them live below the poverty line. In 1990, female single parent families had the lowest income, on average $26,906-gross income of course-compared to $42,953 for single parent families headed by men. The incidence of poverty in single parent families headed by women is clear. Within a mere two years, the income of these families has dropped by about $3,000.
Single mothers must often take on complete responsibility for the physical, material and psychological well-being of their children. Such a reality explains why the recent trend reveals that some important changes have occurred in the social fabric of Canada and Quebec.
According to Statistics Canada, being a single parent usually results from the failure of a marriage and from child care being entrusted to the mother. These mothers are often younger and their education level lower than that of fathers who head single-parent families. These young mothers must work to support their children and therefore, have to leave school. They cannot acquire the necessary skills to get good quality jobs and consequently, cannot hope for a better income. They find themselves limited to low quality types of jobs.
According to the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, a staggering number of unemployed single mothers were living on a gross annual income of barely more than $12,000. These are 1991 figures. Everyone will agree that this is well below the poverty level.
Almost all the available income of these women came from the state, in the form of family allowances, unemployment insurance benefits, social assistance, retirement pensions and other types of benefits.
Poverty is a vicious circle which is very difficult to break without outside help, particularly if you are a woman who is a single parent and who must work to ensure her survival and that of her children. Yet these women are most likely to find underpaid jobs. They are classic victims of the precariousness of employment and the division of work, a modern calamity for a society in constant evolution which strikes young workers and women.
Another economic burden supported by single mothers is the excessive cost of housing. According to Statistics Canada, 54 per cent of single parent families were renting the dwelling in which they lived. The rate is much lower for men who are heads of single parent families, since it is around 37 per cent. What is alarming is the fact that 56 per cent of single parents who are women spend more than 30 per cent of their income on housing, while, and so much the better, only 32 per cent of single parents who are men spend the same proportion of their income on housing.
Today, on March 8, we must acknowledge that the situation of women is tragic. The era of collective impoverishment has very much arrived and the question is how long it will last. In the meantime, Canadian women are paying the price. Everyone in this House agrees that poverty is a problem which must be solved. We must go to the root of that problem right now. The government has not only a political and administrative responsibility, but also a moral responsibility towards Canadians. Wishful thinking, white books, sham policies and political programs which turn from red to blue with every possible nuance no longer have their place in 1994.
This government can, if it wants and especially if it so believes, show the way by facilitating access to education and employment for single mothers, and that includes, among other initiatives, the setting up of a national day care network which would be primarily available to those families who need it the most. And, Madam Speaker, as you know, these families are the ones headed by women.
Another measure could be taken to improve the financial situation of single mothers. An increasing number of women are being economically discriminated against because of a provision of the Federal Income Tax Act concerning the taxation of support payments made to the parents who are given custody of the children and who are women for the most part, as we well know. We will not have to mention it anymore, since it is becoming so obvious. Right now, the tax reform undertaken by the government does not address the issue.
The principle according to which any deductible amount for the payer, that is the ex-husband, is added to the income of the recipient, that is the single mother who has custody of the children, dates back to the 1940s. At that time, Madam Speaker, we were both quite young.
Everyone will agree that our society has changed significantly during the last 50 years. The government must accept its responsibilities and reconsider this principle which greatly affects the financial security of single mothers. Those are only a few of the measures which could improve the financial situation of women, of their family and of all members of our society.
The wealth and the vitality of a society largely depends on its concern for the young. Healthy kids make for healthy families. The basic needs of an individual must be fulfilled for him or her to grow. Our young people need to be well-fed, to be well-housed, to have some place warm to go, and to be loved in order to grow and become reliable and happy adults.
During the Year of the Family, I think it is the responsibility of members of this House and of this government to do whatever they can to ensure all families in Quebec and in Canada enjoy the best health possible. I am convinced that on this day, March 8, our leaders have listened a bit more carefully to the needs of our society.
Madam Speaker, what I should have told you earlier is that, starting with my speech, our interventions will last ten minutes.