Greens call for Federal Programs and Legislation to End Child Poverty

OTTAWA -- National Green Party leader Elizabeth May called for stepped-up federal programs and legislated targets to end child poverty, in the wake of a recent report by independent Representative for Children and Youth Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond on the risk factors behind infant deaths in BC.  The report, “Fragile Lives, Fragmented Systems”, concluded that B.C.'s high poverty rate and patchwork support system for families put vulnerable children, particularly First Nations children, at risk of an early death.
 
Contributing factors listed in the report for infant death included poverty and risk factors related to poverty, including mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, and single parenthood.  Disturbingly, almost 75% of the infant deaths (having occurred during sleep) investigated -  15 of 21 – were First Nations children. In the riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands, 10.5% of the population are classified as “low income” by the latest census and 3500 people are listed as being First Nations.
 
“It is time for action on child poverty, which is a significant factor in infant deaths.  We have known for a long time that poverty is the number one social determinant of health.  Now we know it increases infant death,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May.  “This is an urgent issue.  BC has the highest child poverty rate in Canada and it remains at the same level it was when in 1989 the Parliament of Canada vowed to end it by the year 2000. It is a scandal that in a wealthy country like Canada, we accept the existence of poverty. We need to put in place a Federal Poverty Elimination strategy ensuring that every family has an income level sufficient to allow every child to develop to their full potential. We should be looking to the countries that are more successful in eliminating child poverty and asking what lessons could we bring to Canada.”
 
The Green Party is calling for a Poverty Commissioner to develop a Federal Poverty Elimination Strategy, a recommendation echoed by a recent UNICEF report on poverty rates and various indicators of well-being in Canada and other nations. The Green Party also support’s UNICEF’s call for a national Children’s Commissioner who would ensure children’s best interests are considered in policy development and that services across the country are better coordinated.
 
BC’s main First Nations organizations have also recently called for provincial legislation aimed at ending child poverty that would set measurable targets, standards, and a legislated commitment to reducing the level of child poverty.  The Green Party of Canada would also support similar federal legislation and targets.
 
“Although we think of Canada as an affluent nation, there is a great deal of inequality in family income and it is the children that often bear this burden. Poverty is a systemic problem that requires intervention in all spheres of public policy. We need to develop a comprehensive plan to improve our social safety network so that it eliminates child poverty.  And this program needs to be spearheaded by the Federal Government,” stated Rebecca Harrison, the Green Party’s Poverty Elimination Critic.
 
To eliminate poverty in Canada, the Green Party of Canada is also calling for:

• Creation of a poverty elimination commissioner to open the door to discussions with all parties regarding a Guaranteed Annual Income Policy.
• Establishing a Guaranteed Liveable Income for all Canadians to end poverty across Canada over the longer run.
  An immediate increase of 25% in the Guaranteed Income Supplement.
• Implementation of a National Affordable Housing plan to set an annual rate of building affordable housing so that the supply of housing is no longer an issue by 2019; building 20,000 new and 10,000 rehabilitated, subsidized affordable units per year for the next 10 years using capital grants and changes in tax and mortgage insurance regulations.
• Increasing funding for low-income housing.
• Greater support for people with disabilities.
• Programs to provide for universal child care. 
• Removal of taxes from the lowest income categories so that no taxes are paid by those below the poverty line.
• Free transit passes for those on income assistance to ensure people the mobility they need to find work, shelter and other necessities.

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Contact Information
Debra Eindiguer
Press Secretary
Green Party of Canada
media@greenparty.ca
C: 613.240.8921
www.greenparty.ca