Confronting Poverty in Canada

In a country as wealthy as ours, why must so many families struggle constantly just to survive?

One in six Canadians live in poverty — and they’re defying easy stereotypes. Nearly 1.2 million are children. Some are adults on shrinking social assistance, facing tough barriers to employment. Others work for rock-bottom wages. In fact, one quarter of poor families now have someone working full-time. And half of all working families say they’re only a couple of missed paycheques from falling into poverty themselves.

Fighting poverty doesn’t fit the Conservatives’ narrow ideology, but the Liberals aren't the answer. A Liberal government left our social safety net in tatters: gutted Employment Insurance, ended Ottawa’s role in welfare, and axed the affordable housing program the NDP helped create.

Poverty takes away freedom and hope, and it’s the biggest single factor in ill health. Confronting poverty means recognizing the human dignity in everyone — and our responsibility to help those neighbours who fall through the cracks.

When the NDP defend good jobs and affordable training, we’re defending our freedom to thrive in good health. When we promote affordable housing, we’re standing up for two million families who can’t find shelter they can afford — who must sacrifice other essentials or become homeless as 250,000 Canadians did last year.

In 2005, the Jack Layton and the NDP forced the Liberals to cancel corporate tax cuts and invest in priorities like affordable housing and training.

We want to build on that progress, building toward the comprehensive anti-poverty strategy that Canada needs:

  • Consulting with Canadians: Our Social Policy Critic Tony Martin is talking with ordinary citizens across Canada about their experiences of poverty and how to repair Canada’s social safety net.
  • Fixing Employment Insurance: The NDP is fighting to reform EI so hard-working Canadians can again qualify for fair benefits while they seek new employment or retraining.
  • Restoring a federal minimum wage: The NDP is fighting to reinstate a federal minimum wage the Liberals axed, setting it at $10/hour to ensure a basic living standard.
  • Moving forward on child care: The NDP has moved past second reading with landmark legislation to make affordable child care a permanent national program.
  • Protecting seniors: Parliament has adopted the NDP's Seniors Charter enshrining every senior’s right to secure income, housing and health care—including free drug and dental coverage.
  • Confronting homelessness: While advocating a national housing strategy, NDP MPs also pressured the government to abandon cuts to homelessness and community housing initiatives.
  • Making education affordable: The NDP has a practical plan to ease crippling student debt, and has already secured a Parliamentary study on improving access to literacy and skills training.
  • Fighting for women’s equality: The face of poverty is disproportionately female, and New Democrats are helping to lead the struggle for equality for women at home and at work.
  • Seeking fairness for people with disabilities: The NDP is refining a Canadians with Disabilities Act targeting the income and employment gaps that Canadians with disabilities still face.
  • Feeding children: Alongside several community groups, the NDP co-launched the Children’s Health & Nutrition Initiative so no kids have to go to school hungry.
  • Reducing bank fees: The NDP is tabling legislation to end the ATM-machine money-grab that made Canadians cough up $420-million in 2005 just to access their own money.