TORONTO – A new report finds a lack of progress in reducing
child poverty in Canada, despite a commitment from members of Parliament more
than two decades ago to eradicate child poverty by the year 2000.
Released Monday, the Campaign 2000 annual report release
also marks five years after the entire House of Commons voted to develop an
immediate plan to end poverty for all in Canada.
25 years ago this
week, in the House of Commons, MPs agreed unanimously to try to eradicate child
poverty by the year 2000. Today, there are roughly the same amount of kids
living below the poverty line. ‘There’s no question we failed': MPs commitment
to end poverty is 25 years old
“More children and their families live in poverty as of
2014 than they did when the House of Commons unanimously resolved to end child
poverty more than 25 years ago,” read the report.
The report gathered Statistics Canada tax-filer data and
found that child and family poverty has increased to 1,331,530 children in 2014
from 1,066,150 children in 1989.
While public policies such as the Canada Child Tax Benefit/
National Child Benefit Supplement and the Child Disability Benefit have made an
impact to families, the report said those policies do not make a “big enough
difference to dial down the child poverty rate substantially or to sustain less
child poverty.”
