Canadians will have their say on the country’s Poverty Reduction Strategy

Consultations on a Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy  

The Government of Canada has launched an engagement website where interested individuals and organizations can provide their input and opinions on Canada’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. Additionally, Minister Duclos will hold discussion forums and online town halls to hear what Canadians have to say.

The online engagement will be complemented by in-person roundtables with provincial, territorial and municipal governments, Indigenous organizations, businesses, community organizations, academic experts and Canadians who have experienced poverty.

The Government welcomes all input on the ways to reduce poverty and its impacts, including potential targets, timelines, and indicators for the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Advisory committee on poverty

The ministerial advisory committee on poverty will contribute to the development of a Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy by complementing the public consultations. One of the committee’s key roles will be to act as a sounding board to help test ideas that are generated in the public consultations process.

The committee’s work will build on the consultations by providing independent advice on issues that could include

• identifying priority areas of action;
• aligning federal government actions to reduce poverty with those of the provinces and territories; and
• how to replicate innovative approaches to poverty reduction at the national level.

The committee will operate for one year. Members will be representative of Canada’s diversity and will be selected from five key areas, including academia, international expertise, service delivery, business, and people who have experienced poverty. 

The committee members will be selected through a call for nominations process. Through this process, the Government of Canada invites interested individuals who have experience with poverty and poverty reduction to apply for the ministerial advisory committee on poverty. The nomination period is from February 13 to March 13, 2017.

Tackling Poverty Together

Tackling Poverty Together is a research project in six communities across Canada. It aims to assess the impact of poverty reduction programs locally in communities that have identified poverty as an issue, while learning directly from people who know first-hand what it’s like to live in poverty. The project involves gathering qualitative and quantitative information on the impact of government programs on those living in poverty, barriers to accessing the programs, and ideas to improve existing programs.

The Tackling Poverty Together project will be implemented in Saint John, New Brunswick; Trois-Rivières, Quebec; Regent Park (Toronto), Ontario; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Tisdale, Saskatchewan; and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

Recent Government of Canada initiatives to support poverty reduction

When many think about poverty, the first thing that comes to mind is income. While income is essential for well-being, poverty is not only about a lack of adequate income. Being poor often goes hand-in-hand with other hardships such as poor housing, poor health, food insecurity, low employment and education outcomes, lack of access to transportation and services, and social exclusion. Poverty also impacts social mobility. The multidimensional nature of poverty means governments need to respond to both its causes and its consequences.

Accordingly, the Government of Canada has taken action on a range of issues with a view to reducing poverty in Canada. The Government has introduced the Canada Child Benefit, the Guaranteed Income Supplement top-up, and the middle-class tax cut. In addition to these actions, the Government has also committed to a framework for early learning and child care, a national housing strategy, a new health accord, primary and secondary education reform on reserve, investments in social and green infrastructure, a social finance and social innovation strategy, the development of accessibility legislation and investments for women fleeing violence, to name a few.