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Poverty is an election issue too |
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National Election 2004
May 23, 2004
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With a federal election campaign now underway, the Edmonton Social
Planning Council reminds political candidates and the national parties
that poverty is a concern for voting Canadians.
In Alberta, there were more than 350,000 people (11.9%) living in
poverty (according to the latest low-income measuring tool, the Market
Basket Measure, year 2000 stats.) Of those, more than 100,000 were
children (14.1% of Alberta children live in poverty according to the
recent annual report card of the child poverty organization Campaign
2000.)
Nationwide there were over four million Canadians (13.1%) living below the MBM low-income thresholds.
“We have a serious societal problem,” says Nicola Fairbrother,
executive director of ESPC, “when so many people live with incomes that
fall short of providing for basic necessities. Such a large proportion
of our population living in poverty will have an impact on the overall
health and well-being of each of us and our communities.”
“The numbers alone make this an urgent election issue,” adds
Fairbrother, “let alone our moral imperative as a wealthy democratic
nation to adopt policies and practices that make it possible for all of
us to be able to participate equally in the economy and society.”
The Edmonton Social Planning Council plans to put out an information
package part way through the 36-day election campaign to inform voters
on the federal government’s role in directing and financing social
policy.
“We have a social deficit in this country,” says Fairbrother, “social
policies and the financial commitment to support needy families and
individuals have been overlooked as governments have been obsessed with
the financial deficit. The federal government needs to reclaim its
leadership role in developing programs and directing the nation’s
resources to invest in people who struggle to meet their basic needs.”
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Sunday, 05 February 2012 
