Mr. Speaker, I welcome this opportunity to participate in the debate on private member's Motion No. 534, introduced by the hon. member for Scarborough—Rouge River. Her motion asks that the federal government work in collaboration with the provinces, territories, first nations, Inuit, and Métis to develop a national plan to eradicate child poverty in Canada.
As I am sure the member opposite is aware, there are already significant government measures in place that are helping to address poverty across this country. A recent UNICEF report backs up the action by this government, stating that child poverty has been reduced to an all-time low under this government.
In fact, changes our government made to Canada's social programs cushioned many families and their children from falling into poverty during the global recession. That being said, our government does not think it is enough to simply help people keep their heads above water in tough times. The best strategy to address income equality and to help people in low-income situations is to create more jobs and to grow the economy.
As demonstrated over the past nine years, our long-term goal is, and always has been, to consistently improve economic conditions and to in turn improve the quality of life for all Canadians all the time. Our government's pan-Canadian approach includes working with the provinces and territories to help Canadians get the skills and experience they need to find jobs and take advantage of the opportunities.
It goes without saying that to address such an issue as complex as poverty, all levels of government, as well as the community and not-for-profit organizations, need to work together. In this matter, we have had a great deal of success. Take, for example, the yearly Canada social transfer. Our government provides funding through the Canada social transfer, which provinces and territories may use to support poverty reduction initiatives. Funding for the Canada social transfer is at an all-time high, at over $12 billion in 2014-15, an increase of $4 billion since our government took office in 2006.
The Canada social transfer also helps fund specific provincial and territorial programs targeted to families with young children and represents a federal commitment that will rise to $1.3 billion in the next fiscal year. This funding supports provincial initiatives in early child development, early learning and child care, and post-secondary education. It also supports social assistance and other social services for low-income families with children.
Furthermore, the national child benefit, also known as the NCB, is an example of federal, provincial, and territorial governments working in partnership to deliver benefits to families with children. The NCB has been enormously successful at delivering support for low-income Canadian families. By reducing the number of families with children living in low-income situations, our government continues to show that we have taken action to help those Canadians who need it most.
Thanks to our government's stewardship of the NCB, the low-income rate for children was 1.8% lower in 2011, which is the most recent data we have. This represents 118,000 fewer children living in poverty than there were under the previous government. With all our benefits combined, our government provides over $15 billion a year in benefits for families with children. Even better, just last month, the Prime Minister proposed new support measures to improve the lives of families and their children.
Under these proposed changes, the universal child care benefit will be enhanced to provide $160 per month for each child under the age of six and $60 per month for children aged six through 17. This means that parents will receive more than $1,900 annually for each child under the age of six and $720 for each child aged six to 17.
Every single family with children under the age of 18 will benefit from these new benefits announced by the Prime Minister. These proposed changes also include the proposed family tax cut, a tax credit that will allow a spouse to transfer up to $50,000 of taxable income to a spouse in a lower tax bracket. They also include the proposed increase of the child care expense deduction limit and the doubling of the children's fitness tax credit. As members can see, we are committed to helping families prosper and to making life more affordable for all Canadian families.
Of course, having proper shelter is also essential. That is why the government has invested more than $16.5 billion in housing since 2006 through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, also known as CMHC. Working with its partners, CMHC has helped nearly 915,000 Canadian individuals and families find adequate and affordable housing. This measure will support new affordable housing and existing social housing needs.
Let us not forget that there is also a great deal of work being done by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. It funds a number of programs that seek to create safe and affordable housing; improve access to high-quality child care, childhood nutrition, and the economic security of families; and meet the unique needs of first nation, Inuit, and Métis communities.
In addition to targeted support for those most in need, the government has also provided almost $160 billion in tax relief for Canadian families and individuals in the past eight years.
We know that many Canadians still face a variety of financial challenges. The major government initiatives I have just talked about will continue to help more and more people move up the income ladder. Our government has achieved tangible and measurable progress in the fight against poverty. More importantly, our support has changed the lives of Canadians for the better.
Since 2006, there are 225,000 fewer children in poverty thanks to our government. According to David Morley, president of UNICEF Canada, it is really impressive. He said, “It's better than the majority of other countries did during the recession”, and we will continue to do even more.