Agenda includes national poverty plan
TheStar.com – News/Canada – ‘All Canadian children deserve a real and fair chance to succeed,’ Trudeau tells Jean-Yves Duclos. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau outlined to Jean-Yves Duclos an ambitious social agenda that includes a national strategy to reduce poverty.
Nov 13 2015. By: Joanna Smith, Ottawa Bureau
OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau outlined an ambitious social agenda aimed improving the lives of all Canadians, including a national strategy to reduce poverty.
“All Canadian children deserve a real and fair chance to succeed, and all Canadians should be able to live with dignity,” Trudeau wrote in his letter to Jean-Yves Duclos, minister for families, children and social development.
That theme could apply to many of the ministries dealing with social policy.
Highlights include:
– Health Minister Jane Philpott will negotiate a new health accord with the provinces and territories that “should” come with long-term funding and include improved access to homecare and mental health services, as well as federal participation in the bulk-purchasing plan the provinces started building in 2010 to get better prices for prescription drugs.
– Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett will work with Finance Minister Bill Morneau to remove the 2-per-cent cap on annual funding increases for First Nations programs, as well as invest in improving the quality of on-reserve education, but the letter was silent on ending boil-water advisories.
– Duclos and Bennett will together launch consultations to set up a National Early Learning and Childcare Framework “as a first step towards delivering affordable, high-quality, flexible and fully inclusive child care.”
As minister responsible for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Duclos will also oversee efforts to boost federal spending on affordable and seniors’ housing.
– MaryAnn Mihychuk, the minister for employment, workforce development and labour, will be in charge of reforming the Employment Insurance system, which would include fulfilling a campaign commitment to eliminate the 910-hour eligibility requirement for newcomers to the labour market the mandate letter says discriminates against immigrants, younger workers and parents re-entering the workforce.
– Mihychuk will also be tasked with reducing barriers to post-secondary education by expanding the Canada Student Grant for low-income students and not requiring graduates to repay federal student loans until their annual income is at least $25,000.
< http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/11/13/all-canadian-children-deserve-a-real-and-fair-chance-to-succeed-trudeau-tells-jean-yves-duclos.html >
Tags: budget, child care, featured, Health, housing, Indigenous, poverty, youth
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2 Responses to “Agenda includes national poverty plan”
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I must give credit where credit is due, as any step in reducing the persistent problem of poverty in Canada is a step in the right direction. I fail to see, however, how these plans are going to make significant changes to this negligent problem Canada has been facing for decades. We must focus our efforts on a national housing plan; it is imperative that low-income Canadians are able to access safe and affordable housing without being placed on waiting lists or having to settle for inadequate shelter. It is difficult to live with dignity when having to seek access to food banks and emergency shelters; this is unacceptable. Our efforts should also include strengthening the labor market by creating more unionized jobs that protect workers and pay sufficient wages.
Alternatively, I propose that instead of taking steps to reduce poverty, we aim to eliminate it all together! We live in a developed and prosperous country ,and the prospect of having a Guaranteed Annual Income is very attainable. A program like this may appear costly, although in the long term the economy would reap the benefits. It would give Canadians more control over their: finances, circumstances and spending power, and as a result it would stimulate the economy. There would be less Canadians accessing healthcare due to illnesses cause by poverty and malnutrition, and this would keep workers employed and satisfied with their employment. A problem as serious as poverty that has plagued our country needs our immediate attention, and although small changes will not go unnoticed, it is time for big changes.
It is significant for Trudeau to address Canada’s issues in regards to national poverty and while these recommendations are a step in the right direction there appears to be some flaws within them. Specifically, with Health Minister, Jane Philpott’s plan to “negotiate a new health accord with provinces and territories that “should” come with long-term funding and include improved access to homecare and mental health services”. This statement demonstrates the lack of commitment made by Jane Philpott, as commitment for funding is essential to this plan. It is evident provinces are already struggling to cover health care costs as social services and mental health programs have been receiving numerous cutbacks. Canada’s promise to end poverty has been on going for decades, therefore it is crucial for government officials to step up and place more concrete ideas on the table if they plan on fulfilling the promise to end poverty in Canada.