Canadian Social Research Links

National (Canadian) and International
Anti-Poverty Strategies and Poverty Reduction Campaigns

Sites de recherche sociale au Canada

Les stratégies antipauvreté et les campagnes de réduction de pauvreté
nationales (Canada) et ailleurs dans le monde

See also:
Provincial and Territorial Information
(This link takes you to a separate page of links)
Voir également:
Renseignements provinciaux et territoriaux
(page distincte)
Updated February 25, 2010
Page révisée le 25 février 2010

[ Go to Canadian Social Research Links Home Page ]




National and International Anti-Poverty Strategies
and Poverty Reduction Campaigns

On this page, you'll find links to information from the Canadian national/federal perspective as well as selected international links (jump there directly).

For links to information from
the Canadian provinces and territories,
see Provincial and Territorial Information
(This link takes you to a separate Canadian Social Research Links page)


 

FACTOID:

There's nothing new under the sun --- government anti-poverty strategies have been around since the late 1700s and the Speenhamland System (Source: Wikipedia article). Even in those days, the rich guys who ran the place understood that the best way to foment revolution was to deny basic necessities of life to a segment of the population, or to sit by idly while extrinsic factors (such as war, pestilence or a bad crop year ) wrought havoc with the lives of the less fortunate.



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
:

Poverty in Canada
- incl. links to : * History of poverty in Canada * Measures of poverty in Canada * Low income groups in Canada * Effects of poverty in Canada * Assistance for poor people in Canada (Government transfers and intervention - Non-governmental assistance) * more...

Poverty reduction
Poverty reduction (or poverty alleviation) is any process which seeks to reduce the level of poverty in a community, or amongst a group of people or countries. Poverty reduction programs may be aimed at economic or non-economic poverty...


* Links to Anti-Poverty/Poverty Blogs - links to over three dozen blogs from BC, from Toronto, from Fredericton, from Montreal, etc.
*
News - Anti-poverty & poverty related news stories, current events, reports & press releases
*
Links - Links to government websites, policies, acts, regulations & many other useful websites organized by issue (same as above) and by location (links to provincial/territorial resources, U.S. and other international links)
Source:
PovNet
PovNet is an online resource for advocates, people on welfare,
and community groups and individuals involved in anti-poverty work.[ About PovNet ]


New links are added below in reverse chronological order.

We can't afford not to take on poverty
By Art Eggleton and Hugh Segal
January 7, 2010
A fter two years of study and until recently nearly a decade of unprecedented economic growth in Canadian cities, we were hoping to tell Canadians that we are winning the fight against poverty in Canada. Sadly we cannot. Despite the many thoughtful efforts by governments, community groups and the private sector, far too many Canadians continue to live below any measure of a poverty line, live without a home, and struggle to provide the basic necessities for their families. The system that is supposed to help lift people out of poverty is substantially broken, entraps people in poverty and needs a complete overhaul. (...) Poverty expands health-care costs and policing burdens, and diminishes educational outcomes. This in turn depresses productivity, economic expansion and social progress, all of which takes place at huge cost to taxpayers, and the robust potential of our economy.
[
Art Eggleton is chair of the Senate Sub-committee on cities. Hugh Segal is vice-chair. ]
Source:
Ottawa Citizen

In From the Margins: A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness
News Release
Ottawa (December 8, 2009) – A major Senate report tabled today is declaring that Canada’s system for lifting people out of poverty is substantially broken and must be overhauled. “We began this study by focusing on the most vulnerable city-dwellers in the country, those whose lives are marginalized by poverty, housing challenges and homelessness.” stated Senator Art Eggleton, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Cities. “As our research evolved, so too did our frustration and concern as we repeatedly heard accounts of policies and programs only making living in poverty more manageable – which essentially entraps people." The recommendations in the report, In From the Margins: A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness, are the summation of a two-year cross-country study. Committee members heard testimony from more than 170 witnesses, including people living in poverty, several of them homeless, as well as universities, think tanks, provincial and local governments and community organizations.

Complete report:


In From the Margins: A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness
(PDF - 3.8MB, 290 pages)
The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
Report of the Subcommittee on Cities
The Honourable Art Eggleton P.C., Chair
The Honourable Hugh Segal, Deputy Chair
December 2009
[ version française (PDF - 4,5Mo., 331 pages) ]

Executive Summary
* Evidence * Poverty * Poverty reduction strategies * Employment Insurance * Training and education * Health * Income transfers through the tax system * Housing and homelessness * Programs targeted to over-represented groups * Rights-based approaches * Common cause * Knowledge exchange

Source:
Subcommittee on Cities
[ Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology ]

Related link from the same group:

Poverty, Housing and Homelessness: Issues and Options (PDF - 696K, 96 pages)
June 2008
First Report of the Subcommittee on Cities

Source:
Subcommittee on Cities
[ Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology ]

Related links:

Senators keep poverty in spotlight
By Carol Goar
December 9, 2009
Inspired by the groundbreaking report on poverty tabled by the late Senator David Croll 38 years ago, a committee of seven senators has spent the past two years producing a new blueprint for a new century. Their report, released Tuesday, lacks the passion and clarity of the original. But it is comprehensive, thoughtful and – for its time – courageous. The senators, headed by Liberal Art Eggleton and Conservative Hugh Segal, knew from the outset that Prime Minister Stephen Harper had no interest in a plan to break the poverty cycle. They watched the economy weaken and the deficit balloon. Yet they concluded unanimously: "Eradicating poverty is not only the humane and decent priority of a civilized democracy, but absolutely essential to a productive and expanding economy." Those are bold words in today's Ottawa.
Source:
Toronto Star

---

Canadian Mental Health Association Supports
Senate Report on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness: Report Addresses Mental Health Issues
News Release
(Ottawa) December 9, 2009 - Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), National supports several of the recommendations of “In From The Margins: A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness”, Report of the Subcommittee on Cities of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology tabled yesterday in Ottawa. (...) CMHA, National believes that many of the report’s options apply to persons struggling with mental health issues, and recommended several that would benefit persons living with a mental illness. These include recommendations to extend Employment Insurance benefits to 50 weeks, as well as the institution of a national Pharmacare program which would ease the burden of cost for and access to psychoactive medication. Especially pertinent to persons with lived experience of mental illness who are not attached to the labour market are recommendations for the Federal Government to work with provinces to increase provincial assistance rates to after-tax LICO (low income cut-off) levels, as well as investigating opportunities for a basic annual income for Canadians with disabilities.
Source:
Canadian Mental Health Association

Eliminating Poverty in Canada for All

On November 24, Campaign 2000 and seven of its provincial partners marked the 20th anniversary of the unanimous House of Commons’ all-party resolution to end child poverty in Canada with the release of special national and provincial report cards in various cities across the country. (...) Also on Nov. 24, the House of Commons passed a motion of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities Committee (known as the HUMA Committee) "that the Government of Canada (...) develop an immediate plan to eliminate poverty in Canada for all." [ Campaign 2000 ]

Immediately below, you'll find links to the Campaign 2000 national report, to the HUMA motion and to other related resources.
Report cards for individual provinces appear in the provincial section of this page (see the provincial links at the top of the page you're now reading).

---

From Campaign 2000:

Poverty Reduction Key to Canada’s Economic Recovery
News Release
November 24, 2009
OTTAWA – Canada’s economic recovery hinges on federal leadership to pull recession victims out of the poor house and prevent Canadians from plunging into deeper poverty, hunger and homelessness, says Campaign 2000’s new report card on child and family poverty. Keep the Promise: Make Canada Poverty-Free looks at the nation’s most recent child and family after-tax poverty rate compared to 20 years ago, when Parliament unanimously resolved to end child poverty by 2000, and finds today’s after-tax rate is 9.5 per cent, a slight budge from 11.9 per cent in 1989.

Key findings:
* One in 10 children still live in poverty in Canada today. It’s worse for children living in First Nation’s communities: one in four grow up in poverty;
* There are more working poor: 40 per cent of low-income children live in families where at least one parent works full-time year round, up dramatically from 33 per cent in the 1990s;
* Child poverty is persistent across Canada: rates of child and family poverty (LICO before-tax) are in the double digits in most provinces.
* The gap between rich and poor has widened: On average, for every dollar the families in the poorest 10 per cent had, families in the richest 10 per cent had almost 12 times as much ($11.84) in 2007.

-----------------------------
The national report:
-----------------------------

Keep the Promise: Make Canada Poverty-Free (PDF - 488K, 12 pages)
* Oh Canada! Too Many Children in Poverty for Too Long
* Children Live In Poverty Across Canada
* Work Is Not Working for Families
* Some Children and Families are More Vulnerable to Poverty than Others
* The Unique Situation of Aboriginal Children and Families in Poverty
* Early Childhood Education and Care Services: A 20-Year Child Care Roller Coaster Ride
* The Growing Gap Between Rich and Poor
* Canada Lags behind Other Rich Nations
* Affordable Housing
* Post-Secondary Education: A Key Pathway out of Poverty
* Noteworthy Facts on Poverty in Canada
* Ending Child Poverty Will Benefit All of Us
* A Plan to Make Canada Poverty-Free
[TIP: You'll find almost two dozen links to related resources in the "Endnotes" section of the report on pp.10-11]

Version française:
Tenez vos promesses: faites du Canada un pays sans pauvreté
Rapport 2009 sur la pauvreté des enfants et des familles au Canada : 1989 - 2009
(PDF - 504Ko., 12 pages)

Source:
Campaign 2000

------------------
Related links
------------------

From Rob Rainer,
Executive Director of
Canada Without Poverty
:
November 24, 2009

We are pleased to report some good news in the journey to more effectively combat poverty in Canada.
Today, the House of Commons passed the following motion as agreed to by the
House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and
Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities ("HUMA")
:

"That, with November 24th, 2009 marking the 20th anniversary of the 1989 unanimous resolution of this House to eliminate poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000, and not having achieved that goal, be it resolved that the Government of Canada, taking into consideration the Committee’s work in this regard, and respecting provincial and territorial jurisdiction, develop an immediate plan to eliminate poverty in Canada for all."
Source:
Report 6 - Poverty Reduction in Canada
Adopted by the Committee on November 17, 2009;
Presented to the House on November 20, 2009;
Concurred in by the House on November 24, 2009.

---

With the motion now passed, there is Parliament’s commitment to a federal plan for the elimination of poverty. This is a major step towards accomplishing the first of the three goals of Dignity for All: The Campaign for a Poverty-free Canada. The challenge now is for parliamentarians and civil society – including those with the lived experience of poverty – to work together even more closely to determine the substance and timely delivery as well as the accountability mechanisms of the plan. And, to root the entire effort within a framework of Canada’s commitment to economic and social rights (food, housing, adequate standard of living etc.) such as enshrined within international human rights law to which Canada is signatory.

Today’s welcome motion came about thanks to the leading efforts of Laurel Rothman and her team at Campaign 2000, working with certain members of the HUMA Committee and other civil society groups. Kudos to Campaign 2000 and to the members of the HUMA Committee for today’s result!

Rob Rainer
Canada Without Poverty

---

Promises to end child poverty easier than progress
November 24, 2009
By Laurie Monsebraaten
Erica Vergara was born into a struggling immigrant family three months after federal MPs unanimously resolved to end child poverty by 2000. Today, on the 20th anniversary of that pledge, Vergara, 19, and her 3-year-old daughter Alizah, are the face of federal failure. They are among some 637,000 children – or almost one in 10 Canadian kids – living in poverty. That's down slightly from 11.9 per cent, or 792,000 children who were poor in 1989, says Campaign 2000, a national coalition that has been tracking the lack of progress on the federal promise for years. (...) National programs for child care, affordable housing and employment equity to help level the playing field for immigrants and people of colour who experience high rates of child poverty would make a huge difference for Vergara and other poor families raising children, says Campaign 2000's report. But ultimately, Canada needs a broader poverty reduction strategy.
Source:
Parent Central
[ Toronto Star ]

---

20th anniversary of Canada's broken promise to end child poverty
By Lynne Melcombe
November 24, 2009
Across Canada, individuals and groups are marking today as the 20-year anniversary of a unanimous vote in the House of Commons to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000.
Source:
DigitalJournal.com

- Go to the Children, Families and Youth Links (NGO) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnngo.htm

From Library of Parliament Research Publications:

Eliminating Poverty Among Working Families: Funding Scenarios
By Emmanuel Preville
Economics Division
15 October 2008
[ PDF version - 110K, 10 pages ]
* Introduction * Increase to Meet the Low Income Cut-off (A. The Principle / B. The Numbers)
* Funding the Initiative * Conclusion
A study shows that once families break free of poverty, they are less likely to return. Therefore, a possible strategy in the fight against poverty in Canada would be to offer temporary support to families that have an employment income but remain below the low income cut-off – a measurement used to define poverty. The federal government would need to bridge the gap between the disposable income of these families and the LICO, which would involve a one-time cost of up to $23.7 billion over three years. Various tax adjustments could absorb the cost, by increasing either personal income tax or the GST. By helping these families emerge from poverty, and with all other things being equal, Canada could significantly reduce its poverty rate. The rate would fall from an estimated 17.6% in 2008 to 10.5% over three years, and Canada would lead the 19 richest countries listed in the UN Human Poverty Index.

20th Year Since Parliament’s Pledge to Eradicate Child Poverty by 2000
October 19, 2009
November 24, 2009 marks the 20th year since Parliament’s pledge in 1989 to eliminate child poverty in Canada by 2000. Instead, in 2000 18.1% of children and youth (under 18) lived in low income. While this rate of child and youth poverty fell steeply to 11.9% by 2007 (latest year of data available, using the Market Basket Measure of low income), it is nonetheless shockingly high and completely unacceptable – particularly given Canada’s status as one of the world’s wealthiest nations. Indeed, in September 2009,
even the Conference Board of Canada could only give Canada a “C” grade for its progress in child poverty.
Source:
Canada Without Poverty

Campaign 2000 is leading the commemoration of November 24, 2009.
For more information, contact Campaign 2000 by telephone (416-595-9230 ext. 244) or by email ( contactus@campaign2000.ca ).

Guinness World Book of Records shattered by
citizens across the globe demanding that their leaders end poverty

More than 173 Million People Gather at “Stand Up, Take Action,
End Poverty Now!” events, setting new world record for largest mobilization in history
By Sebastian
October 20, 2009
A Guinness World Record shattered this weekend when 173,045,325 citizens gathered at over 3,000 events in more than 120 countries, demanding that their governments eradicate extreme poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). “Stand Up, Take Action, End Poverty Now!”, now in its fourth year, has been certified by Guinness World Records as the largest mobilization of human beings in recorded history, an increase of about 57 million people over last year.
Source:
Stand Up Blog
[ Stand Against Poverty ]

Related links:

Make Poverty History - Canada

United Nations

U.N. Millennium Development Goals

U.N. End Poverty 2015 Millennium Campaign

20th Year Since Parliament’s Pledge to Eradicate Child Poverty by 2000
October 19, 2009
November 24, 2009 marks the 20th year since Parliament’s pledge in 1989 to eliminate child poverty in Canada by 2000. Instead, in 2000 18.1% of children and youth (under 18) lived in low income. While this rate of child and youth poverty fell steeply to 11.9% by 2007 (latest year of data available, using the Market Basket Measure of low income), it is nonetheless shockingly high and completely unacceptable – particularly given Canada’s status as one of the world’s wealthiest nations. Indeed, in September 2009,
even the Conference Board of Canada could only give Canada a “C” grade for its progress in child poverty.
Source:
Canada Without Poverty

Campaign 2000 is leading the commemoration of November 24, 2009.
For more information, contact Campaign 2000 by telephone (416-595-9230 ext. 244) or by email ( contactus@campaign2000.ca ).

United Nations calls for action and investment to eradicate global poverty
Conflict, chronic poverty and high food prices threaten children’s well-being in the eastern DRC
17 October 2009 – The United Nations today marked the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declaring that the fight against a scourge that afflicts over a billion people around the world is at a critical juncture.
Source:
United Nations

Stand Up and Take Action
Last year, more than 116 million Stood Up and Took Action to end poverty and in support of the Millennium Development Goals.
This year, join the growing movement.
Stand with us.

What are you doing for STAND UP?
October 4, 2009
- incl. links to
* Five reasons why we need to Get to the Point
* Organize a Stand Up event in your community
* Stand Up 2009 Resource Toolkit
* Attend a Stand Up
* Let us know you want to be involved
* Sample Media Advisory
* STAND UP Pledge
* more...
Source:
Make Poverty History
The Make Poverty History campaign was launched in Canada in 2005 with the support of a wide cross-section of public interest and faith groups, trade unions, students, academics, literary, artistic and sports leaders. National campaigns are now active in over 100 countries. Make Poverty History is part of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP).

Also from Make Poverty History:

On October 16, 17 and 18:
Join this growing three day global mobilization and stand with us!

1. Attend a Stand Up
2. Organize a Stand Up event
3. Act Online
4. Let us know you want to be involved

---

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The MDGs offer us a roadmap to end poverty and its root causes. In September 2000, 189 world leaders adopted the MDGs as part of the Millennium Declaration, agreed to at the United Nations Millennium Summit. (LEARN MORE)
The MDG's set an unprecedented global framework for development that is a crucial step towards ending poverty and inequality by 2015.

The Millennium Developmental Goals Are:
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDs, malaria, and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development
Source:
United Nations

Also from the U.N.:

Download the complete
UN Millennium Development Goals 2009 report
(PDF - 8MB, 60 pages)

End Poverty 2015 Millennium Campaign
"We are the generation that can end poverty"
"End poverty by 2015" is the historic promise 189 world leaders made at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 when they signed onto the Millennium Declaration and agreed to meet the Millennium Development Goals.

Recession Relief Coalition
(Formerly the Recession Relief Fund Coalition)
The Recession Relief Coalition is a broad-based group of organizations and individuals concerned about the impact of the recession on Canada’s most vulnerable and marginalized residents. Over 260 organizations and over 1,100 individuals across Canada have endorsed the coalition’s call on the federal government to create a recession relief fund to prevent cuts to public and private not-for-profit agencies serving vulnerable communities, and to increase funding to support vital social services including homelessness programs and settlement services.
- incl. links to:
* home * actions * indicators * contact * participate * video * gallery * news * archives * blog * submit your story

Endorse the
Recession Relief Coalition Declaration

- read the declaration, then scroll down the page and add your name to the growing list of supporters



The Federal Government's Role in Poverty Reduction in Canada

In March of 2009, the United Nations Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of Canada released a 24-page report containing 68 recommendations on a wide range of topics related to human rights.
In June, the Canadian government released its response to those recommendations, rejecting 14 of them --- notably the development of a national strategy to eliminate poverty.
Immediately below, you'll find links to the report of the UN Working Group and the Canadian response, along with Canada's initial report, submitted in December 2008.
NOTE: the first "related link" below the red bar is a good quick guide to the Canadian government's response to each of the recommendations.
I've even thrown in my two cents' worth at the bottom of this yellow box.

********

From the
Heritage Canada Human Rights Program:

Canada's Universal Periodic Review
Canada’s review before the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group session took place on February 3, 2009. A total of 45 states intervened during the three-hour interactive dialogue. These states made recommendations to Canada in a 24-page report in March 2009

The Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of Canada (PDF - 97K, 24 pages)
March 3, 2009
- includes a list of the 68 recommendations Canada received from other States.

Response of Canada to the Recommendations
June 5, 2009
Canada welcomes and has given careful consideration to the 68 recommendations made during its Universal Periodic Review. (...)

National Report of Canada under the Universal Periodic Review
Submitted in December 2008
- contains information on the promotion and protection of human rights in Canada, including achievements, best practices, and challenges. In addition, the report includes initiatives to address challenges and improve the human rights situation on the ground.

Source:
Canadian Heritage

Related links:

2009 Universal Periodic Review
Annotated Table of recommendations for Canada
(Word file - 94KB)
June 7, 2009
- 14-page section-by-section checklist for all 68 recommendations, including the g
overnment's response for each rejected recommendation in the marginal comments for that section. You must be using a reasonably recent version of Microsoft Word (or the FREE Word Viewer) to view the marginal comments.
Source:
Rob Rainer
Executive Director / Directeur executif
CANADA WITHOUT POVERTY / CANADA SANS PAUVRETÉ

***

The Human Rights Council
The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the UN system made up
of 47 States responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe. The Council was created by the UN General Assembly on 15 March 2006 with the main purpose of addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them.
Source:
United Nations

***

From Canada's International Gateway:

Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations
The Mission of Canada is the primary channel for communications between the Canadian government and the United Nations in New York City. The Mission acts as diplomatic representation for the Government of Canada abroad.

Canada's Diplomatic Missions to the United Nations
Canada has seven diplomatic missions accredited to the UN:
[Click the link above to access the links to more info on each of the specific missions listed below.]
* United Nations in New York * Office of the United Nations in Geneva * UNESCO in Paris * International Organisations in Vienna * Office of the United Nations in Nairobi * the FAO in Rome
* the ICAO in Montreal

Canada at the United Nations
Canada has been active at the United Nations since its foundation in 1945 and played a key role in drafting the UN Charter -- an international treaty that sets out basic principles of international relations.

Canada and other international organizations and forums
- incl. links to more info about the following:
* Arctic Council * Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) * Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) * Commonwealth * European Union (EU) * G8 Summits * International Criminal Court * International Indigenous Affair * La Francophonie * North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) * Order of Malta * Organization of the American States (OAS)

***

The Federal Role in Poverty Reduction in Canada
Ottawa Poverty Reduction Network Meeting
June 22, 2009
My speaking notes
(Gilles Séguin)
* What the federal does well and not-so-well in the area of poverty reduction.
* Why  was the federal government wrong when it told the United Nations that poverty reduction is a provincial responsibility?
* What is the federal government's role in Ontario's poverty reduction strategy?
* What are the Four cornerstones of a workable national poverty reduction strategy for Canada

***

Canada to UN: We'll decide what rights we will choose to observe...
June 8, 2009
By Michael Shapcott
Canada has signed a significant number of international human rights treaties that are legally binding in international law, but the federal government believes that it can pick and choose among its obligations - according to the official document tabled at the United Nations' Rights Council in Geneva today. The good news is that the federal government has accepted its responsibility to take a stronger role in ensuring all Canadians are adequately housed, but the federal government says that companion initiatives to address deep and persistent poverty and income inequality are mostly the responsibility of provinces and territories (and not the national government)...
Source:
Wellesley Institute Blog
[ Wellesley Institute ]

***

Canada to reject 14 of 68 international human rights
recommendations including the development of a national strategy to eliminate poverty
June 6, 2009
By Rob Rainer
On Friday June 5, 2009 the Government of Canada made public Canada’s response to the 68 human rights-related recommendations made to Canada by the UN Human Rights Council, per the 2009 Universal Periodic Review.
This response will be communicated by the government before the Council on Tuesday June 9.

To aid your understanding of the UPR recommendations to Canada and Canada's response, and for ready reference, please see the links below from Heritage Canada's Human Rights Program website.

Of the 68 recommendations, Canada is accepting 39, rejecting 14 and partially accepting 15. Canada is rejecting some recommendations that, were they to be accepted, would mean Canada would join and/or ratify several international human rights treaties. The rejected recommendations also include a number specific to economic and social rights, including:

#1 (Ratify the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights)
#10 (Recognize the justiciability of social, economic and cultural rights, in accordance with the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; ensure legal enforcement of economic, social and cultural rights in domestic courts; grant the same importance to and treat equally civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, in its legislation at all levels); and
#17 (Develop a national strategy to eliminate poverty)

On #17, that Canada is rejecting the call for a national strategy to eliminate poverty undermines the recent or current efforts of the House of Commons' HUMA Committee and various Senate committees and sub-committees to help determine the appropriate role of the federal government in combating poverty Canada-wide. It also flies in the face of calls from at least a couple of provinces (e.g., Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario), pursuant to their provincial poverty action strategies, for complementary engagement of the federal government to help ensure progress on poverty.

If you have not already done so, please register your support for the new Dignity for All Campaign for a Poverty-free Canada. Through this campaign civil society will strengthen its press for enduring federal commitment for a pan-Canadian approach to combating poverty, in which the federal government exercises the leadership it ought to exercise. Such leadership includes convening a process by which a pan-Canadian strategy to eliminate poverty, that complements and supports provincial and territorial strategies, will be realized, with a strong foundation in Canada’s international and domestic human rights commitments.

Rob Rainer
Executive Director / Directeur exécutif
CANADA WITHOUT POVERTY / CANADA SANS PAUVRETÉ
Founded in 1971, Canada Without Poverty (officially the National Anti-Poverty Organization) is an incorporated, not-for-profit, non-partisan, member-based organization dedicated to the eradication of poverty in Canada. We believe this ideal can be realized by 2020, if not sooner, especially in a country as wealthy as Canada

************************************

My Two Cents' Worth...
[By Gilles]

Over the years, Canada has signed a significant number of international human rights treaties that are legally binding in international law, but the Harper Government's position on that is "Hey - just because some old dudes got together back in the 1950s and made some international human rights commitments doesn't mean that we in 2009 should feel bound by those commitments." A position like that undermines Canada's credibility in the international community, because it makes other world govts wonder what*other* international covenants and agreements Canada might welch on in so many other areas.

BOTTOM LINE:
Canada *must* be accountable for its international commitments in human rights.
Our international reputation depends on it.

The Harper statement that provinces are responsible for initiatives to address poverty and income inequality may be true under the Canadian Constitution, but the feds have used their own constitutional spending power over the years both to create many national social programs - Old Age Security, the National Child Benefit, etc. - and to influence provincial programs to move in certain desired directions. The relevant example in this respect is the Canada Assistance Plan, the federal-provincial-territorial cost-sharing program that enabled the federal government to share 50% of provincial-territorial welfare costs. [ More information about the Canada Assistance Plan ]

The federal government sends billions of dollars each year to provinces and territories in a lump sum known as the Canada Social Transfer or CST, as its contribution to provincial costs related to social assistance or welfare. However, the lump sum also covers post-secondary education, social services, and early learning and childcare, and the provinces are free to re-allocate amounts among those components as they see fit. The result is NO accountability by provincial governments to the people of Canada (i.e., Parliament) with respect to federal dollars for welfare programs.

The federal govt must establish a national standard of accountability by prov. govts for the money it spends on provincial welfare programs, and the best way is to create a dedicated federal fund specifically earmarked for provincial welfare. There *was* such a national standard in place from 1967 until 1996: it was called the Canada Assistance Plan.

There was a big squabble some years back as the federal and provincial governments couldn't agree on the amounts that each level of govt was spending on health care. That's because, in 1996, Ottawa had replaced the Canada Assistance Plan and its detailed reporting requirements - including an annual report to the people of Canada in the House of Commons - with the Canada Health and Social Transfer, a block transfer that included the federal contribution to welfare AND Medicare AND post-secondary education.

The federal govt's solution was to hive off the Canada Health Act into a separate fund called the Canada Health Transfer, which required the provinces to report separately on their health care costs. As for welfare, it was folded in with post-secondary education and social services under the Canada Social Transfer in 2004, where it remains today. It's truly mystifying to me why the federal govt, which likes to get its share of the credit for its share of spending on social programs, doesn't just create a new Canada-Assistance-Plan-like mechanism to allow for public disclosure of exactly how much each province is spending on its welfare programs.
[Or maybe that would look too much like "federal involvement in a field that's under provincial responsibility..."]


Meetings of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills
and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities ("HUMA")

(40th PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION)
(These sessions took place between February and June 2009)

The link above takes you to a new (June 15/09) Canadian Social Research Links page containing links to over three dozen meetings of the "HUMA" Committee along with a table of contents for all 38 transcripts for 2009 in the context of the Parliamentary study of the "Federal Contribution to Reducing Poverty in Canada". The 2009 HUMA Committee Meetings page from the Parliamentary Website doesn't include a guide or a table of contents, so it's not easy to find your way around. The HUMA meeting transcripts range from 25 to 50 pages if printed, and they all contain valuable information on poverty reduction and social programs in Canada. My new page also contains some links to the 2008 HUMA transcripts as well as information about how the HUMA Committee work fits in with other current and recent Parliamentary studies of poverty

Source:
Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills
and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

[ Parliament of Canada ]

May 25, 2009
New resource from the Canadian Council on Social Development:

Poverty Reduction Policies and Programs
Social Development Report Series, 2009
Series Editor: Katherine Scott

– identifies current federal, provincial and territorial approaches to poverty reduction.
- 14 authors discuss the ideas, interests and institutions that have shaped the evolution of poverty reduction policies and programs in Canada and the issues for each jurisdiction moving forward.

Required reading for ANYONE interested in Canadian welfare programs!

Poverty Reduction Policies and Programs in Canada (PDF - 341K, 29 pages)
By David I. Hay, Information Partnership
[ version française - PDF ]
Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION
POLICY CONTEXT

* Poverty Definition and Measurement
* Poverty Trends in Canada
* Social Policy Development Goals
* Canada as a Social Welfare State
* Social Values in Canada
* Roles and Responsibilities
* Policy Decision-making in Canada and the Poverty Policy Community
NATIONAL ANTI-POVERTY AND INCOME SECURITY POLICIES IN CANADA
* Child and Family Benefits
* Benefits for Seniors
* Employment Benefits
* Other Programs
COMPREHENSIVE ANTI-POVERTY / INCOME SECURITY POLICIES IN CANADA
* What are the essential elements?
* What are the political opportunities and prospects?

NOTE: To access provincial and territorial reports, go back to the top of this page and click on a jurisdiction.
Each CCSD report in this series is in a yellow textbox.

Source:
Canadian Council on Social Development

From the Caledon Institute of Social Policy:

Newfoundland and Labrador: Innovative Strategies in Government-Community Collaboration (PDF - 85K, 9 pages)
By Fran Locke, Penelope Rowe and Anne Makhoul
April 2009
An ambitious experiment, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Strategic Social Plan (SSP) – unveiled in 1998 – called for involvement of the voluntary, community-based sector and citizens in policy formulation. Dismantled in 2004, it also provided the foundation for Newfoundland and Labrador’s current Rural Secretariat and its celebrated Community Accounts database.

Comprehensive Strategies for Deep and Durable Outcomes (PDF - 87K, 20 pages)
By Eric Leviten-Reid
April 2009
This paper is part of Vibrant Communities’ continuing effort to strengthen the knowledge and practice of comprehensive, multisectoral approaches to poverty reduction. It explores the idea of ‘comprehensiveness’ in order to clarify some of the conceptual and practical issues it involves. What are the different ways to pursue comprehensive approaches to poverty reduction? What are the strengths and limitations of such approaches in achieving deep and durable outcomes? More than a discussion paper, this publication helps set the stage for a series of case studies to be undertaken with local partners in Vibrant Communities.

Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction: Setting the Table for Change (PDF - 215K, 11 pages)
Liz Weaver and Anne Makhoul
March 2009
The Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction’s work to make a serious dent in poverty began in 2006. Its record of success is now inspiring communities across Ontario to consider similar action. Find out how this organization is influencing policy makers and bringing out the best in its citizens.

The federal role in poverty reduction (PDF - 78K, 19 pages)
Presentation to the Standing Committee on Human Resources,
Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities
by Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman
March 10, 2009
"(...)This morning, we will briefly discuss some examples of federal programs that can help reduce poverty, and offer some suggestions for improving their poverty reduction capacity [bolding added]. We distinguish between incremental improvements to existing programs and deeper changes to the architecture of social policy. Although the federal role in poverty reduction takes mainly the form of income security programs, it also has roles to play in financially supporting services provided by provinces and territories."
- incl. proposals to improve/support:
* Seniors’ benefits * Child benefits * Help for the working poor * Employment Insurance
* Disability income * Early learning and child care * Social housing * Social infrastructure * Enabling environment

Related link:

Standing Committee on Human Resources,
Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

(40th Parliament, 2nd Session : January 26, 2009 - Present)

See also:

Poverty Policy (PDF - 119K, 36 pages)
By Sherri Torjman
October 2008
This paper discusses ten major policy areas that comprise the core of a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy:
* affordable housing * early childhood development * high school completion and improved literacy proficiency * demand-driven customized training * improved minimum wages and enhanced supplementation of low earnings and of income * a restored and improved unemployment insurance system * adequate income and appropriate supports for persons with disabilities * assistance with the creation of assets for low- and modest-income households, support for the social economy * strong social infrastructure * place-based initiatives that fashion integrated approaches to intervention and that create effective responses to tackling poverty through creative combinations of resources and approaches.

Source:
Caledon Institute of Social Policy

From the Canadian Council on Social Development:

Poverty Reduction in Canada: Advancing a National Anti-Poverty and Supports Agenda (PDF - 423K, 16 pages)
[posted November 20, 2008]
- presentation by CCSD's Katherine Scott at the CACL 50th Anniversary Conference in November, 2008.

Poverty Reduction Initiatives in Canada (447K, 16 pages)
[posted November 20, 2008]
- presentation by Katherine Scott at the CDPAC Poverty and Action in Canada conference, November 2008.

-----------------------------

CCSD Perception Magazine : Poverty issue
[Posted May 13, 2008]
The complete Poverty issue of Perception Magazine is now online, with pieces about national and provincial anti-poverty strategies, an article by Rob Rainer about a poverty-free Canada by the year 2020, a report by John Stapleton about why it's so tough to get ahead, an article on social data by Alanna Petroff, and much more. Plus we asked our readers and they told us what else they're reading these days.

Perception: Volume 29, No. 3 & 4, 2008 (PDF - 2.5MB, 28 pages)
Focus on Poverty :
* Defining the Problem * Working Strategies * Measuring Success
[ version française (PDF - 2,4Mo., 28 pages) ]
Table of Contents:
* Editorial (by Marcel Lauzière)
* Defining and re-defining poverty in Canada
* Towards a National Ideal: Canada Without Poverty by 2020 (by Rob Rainer)
* Four Cornerstones of a Workable National Strategy for Canada (by Sheila Regehr)
* Newfoundland and Labrador's Action Plan to Reduce Poverty (by Minister Shawn Skinner and Aisling Gogan)
* Quebec's Law Against Poverty and Social Exclusion: An Interview with Alain Noel
* "Why is it so tough to get ahead?" (A report by John Stapleton)
* Using social data for success (by Alanna Petroff)
* What's on your bookshelf?
* Resource: New report on economic well-being of children in North America
* Update: Canadian Social Forum
Source:
Canadian Council on Social Development
[ Conseil canadien de développement social ]

From the National Council of Welfare:

Solving Poverty: Four cornerstones of a workable national strategy for Canada (PDF file - 1MB, 29 pages)
Winter 2007
"(...) When the National Council of Welfare started looking into anti-poverty strategies, it became quickly apparent to us that if there is no long-term vision, no plan, no one accountable for carrying out the plan, no resources assigned and no accepted measure of results, we will continue to be mired in poverty for generations.
The four cornerstones:
1) creating a national anti-poverty strategy with targets and timelines;
2) developing a coordinated plan of action;
3) ensuring accountability; and
4) establishing official poverty indicators.
[ Related Press Release
- January 25, 2008 ]
[ related reports ]
[ media coverage of the concept of an anti-poverty strategy ]

Source:
National Anti-Poverty Strategy

- incl. links to * Recent Reports * Anti-poverty and Income Security Questionnaire * Recent Developments

The National Council of Welfare is an arm's length advisory body to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development on matters of concern to low-income Canadians.


Related links found on the Council's website:

Senate committee recommends that the federal government
develop a federal strategy to combat child poverty

April 26, 2007
(...)
Recommendation 14 : Pursuant to articles 26 and 27 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Committee recommends that the federal government develop a federal strategy to combat child poverty that should be put into effect as soon as possible, accompanied by clear goals and timetables. Among other things, such a plan should include preventative measures aimed at high-risk families and a comprehensive housing strategy.

Debate in the House of Commons on a national anti-poverty strategy
(Private Member's Bill - Tony Martin, NDP)
February 20, 2007

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The New Poverty Agenda:
Reshaping Policies in the 21st Century

Conference (Kingston)
August 18-20, 2008
Excerpt from the Conference theme:
"The new poverty agenda demands new policy responses. An effective anti-poverty strategy depends on a wide range of instruments: income transfers, tax policy, asset-building strategies, early childhood interventions, education, labour market programs, housing and social services. An effective response also requires a judicious balancing of general programs and targeted initiatives for particular vulnerable groups, such as children in care, recent immigrants, single-parent families, Aboriginal peoples, people with disabilities, and displaced workers."

- click the link above to access all 20+ presentations made at the event.
[The download format is PDF, but the presentations are in Powerpoint format.]

Sessions:
*
The New Poverty Agenda * Income Transfers and Asset Building * The Tax Regime * Early Childhood Initiatives and Education * Addressing Poverty and Other Social Policy Challenges through Social Risk Management: A New Conceptual Framework? * Employment and Training Programs * Integrated Approaches in Communities: Place-based Interventions * Roundtable on the Politics of Poverty: Can Poverty be a Priority?

Sample content:

* Fighting poverty and social exclusion in the European Union (PDF - 1.7MB, 27 pages), by Isabelle Maquet Engsted, European Commission
* Tackling Poverty and Low Income in New Zealand : Approaches and Lessons Learned (PDF - 522K, 20 pages), by Marcel Lauzière, Canadian Council on Social Development
* Low-Income in Canada, 1980 to 2006 (PDF - 162K, 19 pages), by G. Picot and S. Michaud, Statistics Canada

* Income transfers and labor market integration in Québec (PDF - 86K, 22 pages), by Alain Noël, Université de Montréal
* Poverty, poverty dynamics and asset-based welfare (PDF - 908K, 58 pages), by Robert Walker with Mark Tomlinson, Oxford University (U.K)
* Neoliberal Poverty Governance: U.S. Welfare Policy in an Era of Globalization (PDF - 17K, 3 pages), by Sanford F. Schram, Bryn Mawr College (Pennsylvania)

* High marginal effective tax rates, intersecting rules, and how they affect Low income Adults (PDF - 934K, 26 pages), by John Stapleton, Open Policy (Canada)
*** The Story of Ali (PDF - 98K, 3 pages) --- how social programs work against each other...
* Early childhood services and the new poverty agenda (PDF - 706K, 32 pages), by Thomas Coram Research Unit (U.K.)
* The New Poverty Agenda: Place-Based Interventions (PDF - 1.5MB, 14 pages) , by Sherri Torjman, Caledon Institute of Social Policy
* Making Poverty Count in our National Politics (PDF - 120K, 7 pages), by Senator Hugh Segal, Senate of Canada
* The New Poverty Agenda: Reshaping Policies in the 21st Century (PDF - 241K, 2 pages), by Laurel Rothman, Campaign 2000
[ complete list of presentations with links ]

Source:
Queen's School of Policy Studies

NOTE: if you click on the link to the conference home page (The New Poverty Agenda), you'll find links to every presentation, but they're only identified by author rather than title.

From the Parliamentary Research Library:
(Government of Canada)


Poverty Reduction in Canada - The Federal Role

By Chantal Collin (Political and Social Affairs Division)
23 October 2007
HTML version
PDF version
(118K, 12 pages)
[ version française ]
Table of Contents:
* Who Is Poor in Canada?
* Calls for a National Anti-Poverty Strategy – What Role Could the Federal Government Play?
* A. Key Features of Poverty Reduction Strategies in Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ireland and the United Kingdom
* 1. Social and Economic Links
* 2. Multi-Year Action Plans
* 3. Progress Measurement and Administrative Framework
* B. What Could Be Done?
* 1. Key Challenges
* 2. The Canada Social Transfer: A Need for Principles and Objectives to Guide Social Spending
* 3. Social Union Framework Agreement: A Possible Model?
* 4. Public Accountability and Transparency
* 5. Immediate Action at the Federal Level


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The simplest poverty reduction strategy : a guaranteed income.

Guaranteed Annual Income: A Supplementary Paper (1994)
Improving Social Security in Canada

- This is one of the supplementary papers produced in the course of the 1994 Social Security Review*.

Excellent overview of GAI , filled with historical information (check out Appendix A...) and a detailed analysis of both the Negative Income Tax (NIT) and the Universal Demogrant (UD).
Highly recommended reading for all social researchers. There's even a four-page chapter on absolute and relative measures of adequacy.
PDF version - 150K, 53 pages
HTML version - 117K, 37 pages
[*See the Canadian Social Research Links CAP/CHST Resources page for more on the 1994 Social Security Review]
------------------------------
For more links to GAI resources, go to the Guaranteed Annual Income Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/gai.htm

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Senate Convenes Roundtable on Guaranteed Income
On 13 June 2008, the Senate Sub-Committee on Cities held a Roundtable on the topic of "Guaranteed Annual Income: Has Its Time Come?"

Transcript of the proceedings of the roundtable (51 printed pages)
June 13, 2008
Highly recommended reading --- valuable insights on guaranteed income from recognized experts in the field of guaranteed annual income, including Derek Hum (father of Mincome Manitoba), Senator Hugh Segal, Sheila Regehr (Director, National Council of Welfare), Rob Rainer (Executive Director, National Anti-Poverty Organization), professors Lars Osberg and Jim Mulvale, Michael Mendelson of the Caledon Institute of Social Policy,
Marie White (Council of Canadians with Disabilities) and many others.

Related links:

Weighing trade-offs on poverty
June 20, 2008
By Carol Goar
OTTAWA–The longing for a simple, affordable plan to reduce poverty runs deep. It has propelled the idea of a guaranteed annual income onto the national agenda no fewer than five times since the 1970s. But no proposal has ever had enough momentum to overcome the political and practical barriers that stand in the way of implementation.Senator Hugh Segal believes Canada is close to the breakthrough point. "Our current programs haven't made a jot of progress (in reducing poverty)," he says. "We've tried everything else. Why don't we try a basic income floor?" Segal, a Conservative, was addressing the Senate committee on cities chaired by Art Eggleton, a Liberal. Despite Ottawa's fiercely partisan climate, the Senate remains an oasis of civil and informed debate.
[ more columns by Carol Goar ]
Source
The Toronto Star

Related link:

Guaranteed annual income:
why Milton Friedman and Bob Stanfield were right
(PDF - 172K, 6 pages)
By Hugh Segal
April 2008
Source:
Policy Options - April 2008 issue (free online magazine)
[
Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) ]

- Go to the Guaranteed Annual Income Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/gai.htm

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THE FEDERAL ROLE IN POVERTY REDUCTION IN CANADA
Ottawa Poverty Reduction Network Meeting
June 22, 2009
Speaking Notes - Gilles Séguin
On June 22, 2009, the Ottawa Poverty Reduction Network invited community members living in poverty to participate in an information/action planning meeting about the latest poverty reduction initiatives happening across Canada, Ontario and in Ottawa. I was invited to sit on a panel and to speak about "the federal role in poverty reduction in Canada".
These are my speaking notes.
* What the federal does well and not-so-well in the area of poverty reduction.
* Why  was the federal government wrong  when it told the United Nations that poverty reduction was a provincial responsibility?
* What is the the federal government's role in Ontario's poverty reduction strategy?
* What are the Four cornerstones of a workable national poverty reduction strategy for Canada?

---

May 25, 2009
New resource from the Canadian Council on Social Development:

Poverty Reduction Policies and Programs in Canada (PDF - 341K, 29 pages)
By David I. Hay, Information Partnership
[ version française - PDF ]
Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION
POLICY CONTEXT

* Poverty Definition and Measurement
* Poverty Trends in Canada
* Social Policy Development Goals
* Canada as a Social Welfare State
* Social Values in Canada
* Roles and Responsibilities
* Policy Decision-making in Canada and the Poverty Policy Community
NATIONAL ANTI-POVERTY AND INCOME SECURITY POLICIES IN CANADA
* Child and Family Benefits
* Benefits for Seniors
* Employment Benefits
* Other Programs
COMPREHENSIVE ANTI-POVERTY / INCOME SECURITY POLICIES IN CANADA
* What are the essential elements?
* What are the political opportunities and prospects?

Source:
Poverty Reduction Policies and Programs
Social Development Report Series, 2009
Series Editor: Katherine Scott

– identifies current federal, provincial and territorial approaches to poverty reduction.
- 14 authors discuss the ideas, interests and institutions that have shaped the evolution of poverty reduction policies and programs in Canada and the issues for each jurisdiction moving forward.

Also from the CCSD:

--- Poverty Reduction in Canada: Advancing a National Anti-Poverty and Supports Agenda (PDF - 423K, 16 pages)
[posted November 20, 2008]
- presentation by CCSD's Katherine Scott at the CACL 50th Anniversary Conference in November, 2008.

--- Poverty Reduction Initiatives in Canada (447K, 16 pages)
[posted November 20, 2008]

Dignity for All - the campaign for a poverty-free Canada
"I believe that freedom from poverty is a human right.
I believe in equality among all people.
I believe we are all entitled to social and economic security.
I believe in dignity for all.
NOW is the time to end poverty in Canada."

The Campaign for a Poverty-Free Canada was founded by Canada Without Poverty and Citizens for Public Justice. [Canada Without Poverty is the new public name of the National Anti-Poverty Organization.] Visit the site to obtain some background information about the campaign, updates on poverty reduction in Canada and how you can engage and support this effort to secure enduring and meaningful federal leadership for a poverty-free Canada. Inaugural Campaign Committee members include: ACORN Canada, Campaign 2000, Canadian Association of Social Workers, Canadian Cooperative Association, Canadian Council on Social Development, Canadian Labour Congress, Canadian Teachers’ Federation, Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation, Make Poverty History, and the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry. We are also working in consultation with Collective for a Poverty-Free Quebec.

Now is the time to end poverty in Canada
By Karri Munn-Venn and Rob Rainer
May 18, 2009
The campaign has three goals:
1. A comprehensive, integrated federal plan for poverty elimination.
2. A federal Act to eliminate poverty, promote social inclusion and strengthen social security.
3. Sufficient federal revenue to invest in social security.

Please support the campaign.
Click on the “I support” button on the home page and be a part of Dignity for All: The Campaign for a Poverty-Free Canada.

Because NOW is the time to end poverty in Canada!
[ List of Campaign supporters to date ]

Founders:

Canada Without Poverty
Based in Ottawa and governed by people with experience of living in poverty, Canada Without Poverty works to address the structural causes of and to promote lasting solutions to poverty. We are especially focused on federal, provincial and territorial government policies and legislation (existing and proposed) that may help or harm low-income Canadians.

Citizens for Public Justice
We are a faithful response to God’s call for love, justice and stewardship. We envision a world in which individuals, communities, societal institutions and governments all contribute to and benefit from the common good. Our mission is to promote public justice in Canada by shaping key public policy debates through research and analysis, publishing and public dialogue.
[ Excerpt from Vision and Mission ]

* Links to Anti-Poverty/Poverty Blogs - links to over three dozen blogs from BC, from Toronto, from Fredericton, from Montreal, etc.
*
News - Anti-poverty & poverty related news stories, current events, reports & press releases
*
Links - Links to government websites, policies, acts, regulations & many other useful websites organized by issue (same as above) and by location (links to provincial/territorial resources, U.S. and other international links)
Source:
PovNet
PovNet is an online resource for advocates, people on welfare,
and community groups and individuals involved in anti-poverty work.[ About PovNet ]

Make Poverty History (Canada)
Here's what we want in 14 words:
* More and Better Aid
* Trade Justice
* Cancel the Debt
* End Child Poverty in Canada

Campaign 2000
Campaign 2000 is a cross-Canada public education movement to build Canadian awareness and support for the 1989 all-party House of Commons resolution to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000.

A poverty reduction strategy for Ontario (PDF file - 396K, 14 pages)
July 2007
Source:
Campaign 2000

Canada Without Poverty (official name : National Antipoverty Organization)
Based in Ottawa and governed by people with experience of living in poverty, Canada Without Poverty works to address the structural causes of and to promote lasting solutions to poverty. We are especially focused on federal, provincial and territorial government policies and legislation (existing and proposed) that may help or harm low-income Canadians.

* Speech by Rob Rainer, Executive Director (PDF - 71K, 9 pages)
February 17, 2009
- an introduction to Canada Without Poverty, an overview of poverty in Canada, remarks on income inequality and poverty as a human rights issue, and introduction to the Dignity for All Campaign

Eliminating Poverty
The response to the injustice of poverty must come from not just feelings of charity - understandable as that is. It must also come from a strong commitment to upholding the inalienable right of people everywhere to live in dignity, prerequisites for which include sufficient income and a decent, affordable place to call home.

From the website of
Tony Martin, Federal NDP Poverty Critic:

Debate in the House of Commons on a national anti-poverty strategy
(Private Member's Bill - Tony Martin, NDP)
February 20, 2007

Related links:

The federal contribution to reducing poverty in Canada:
Evidence presented at Meetings of the Standing Committee
on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA)

39th PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION

- this link takes you further down on the page you're now reading to specific evidence presented at six of the HUMA meetings (including a list of witnesses and the topics covered in each meeting)
Source:
Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA)
(Tony Martin is a member of HUMA)
[ Parliament of Canada website ]

Envisioning Canada Without Poverty: A CPJ Call to Action
Momentum for poverty reduction is growing across Canada. As Ontario and Nova Scotia follow in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador's footsteps by committing to poverty reduction strategies, the leadership of the provinces is setting an example for the federal government to follow. We believe that the time has come to increase the pressure on the federal government to develop a federal poverty reduction strategy for Canada.

Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) has recently launched the Envisioning Canada Without Poverty: A CPJ Call to Action campaign. It is aimed at empowering citizens to advocate for a poverty reduction strategy. Our website offers both introductory information and a more detailed examination of poverty and poverty reduction strategies, as well as step by step instructions on writing your MP or arranging a meeting. We are calling for concerned citizens to write or visit your MP to ask for their commitment to working towards a federal poverty reduction strategy announced in Budget 2009.

Federal Liberal Party Antipoverty Plan
+ Caledon Institute of Social Policy Response

Dion Unveils the Liberal Plan to Win the War Against Poverty
November 9, 2007
TORONTO – Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion today unveiled a comprehensive plan to dramatically reduce the number of Canadians living below the poverty line by at least 30 per cent and cut in half the number of children living in poverty in five years. Mr. Dion called it the Liberal 30-50 Plan to Reduce Poverty.
Source:
Liberal Party of Canada

Full Text of Stéphane Dion's Speech
to the Learning Enrichment Foundation

November 9, 2007

Caledon Response to Liberal Poverty Strategy (PDF file - 264K, 9 pages)
November 2007
The Caledon Institute of Social Policy applauds Liberal leader Stéphane Dion’s November 9, 2007 speech laying out his party’s poverty reduction strategy. It recognizes poverty as a serious national problem that needs political leadership and an explicit focus to achieve clear results.
Caledon offers some additional or alternative proposals, including:
* to properly set and monitor poverty reduction targets, devise a better poverty indicator than the current low income cut-offs
* rather than simply converting the non-refundable child tax credit to a refundable credit, as suggested in the Dion speech, the federal government should abolish the Universal Child Care Benefit and the child tax credit, using the savings to help build a stronger Canada Child Tax Benefit
* immediately bolster the federal Working Income Tax Benefit (WITB), but in future expand it from a federal-only to a joint federal-provincial/territorial undertaking. WITB should be made more flexible to allow each province and territory to adapt the program to its needs and circumstances, and to integrate it with its welfare system
* provide specifics and associated costs on the proposal to increase Guaranteed Income Supplement payments for the lowest income seniors
* base the income test for the clawback of Old Age Security benefits from upper-income senior couples on their combined income rather than on each spouse or partner’s individual income
* to encourage seniors and near-seniors who can and want to continue working to do so, eliminate the ‘employment test’ for receipt of a CPP retirement pension before age 65. Also, allow CPP beneficiaries receiving a retirement pension but still working to continue to contribute to the plan, with the additional earnings taken into account each year in re-calculating their pensions.
Source:
Caledon Institute of Social Policy
The Caledon Institute of Social Policy is a private, nonprofit organization with charitable status. It is supported primarily by the Maytree Foundation, located in Toronto. Caledon is an independent and critical voice that does not depend on government funding and is not affiliated with any political party.

Related link:

Dion's green anti-poverty plan
June 25, 2008
By Carol Goar
When Stéphane Dion announced last November that a Liberal government would cut poverty by 30 per cent – and child poverty by 50 per cent – within five years, his political opponents scoffed. Where would he find the billions of dollars he needed to deliver on his commitment? Now we know the answer – or at least a large part of the answer. Dion's proposed carbon tax, unveiled last week, would allow him to launch the most aggressive anti-poverty program in 40 years.
Source:
The Toronto Star

Brief to the Senate on Urban Child Poverty (2008) (PDF - 187K, 14 pages)
In February 2008, First Call Chair Michael Goldberg presented to the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology on the topic of urban child poverty. This briefing is an overview of topics including measuring poverty; child poverty rates; and the interaction between market income, social security benefits, taxation and statutory deductions, and income tested social programs.
Source:
First Call: B.C. Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition
First Call is a coalition of individuals and organizations whose purpose is to create greater understanding of and advocacy for legislation, policy, and practice to ensure that all children and youth have the opportunities and resources required to achieve their full potential and to participate in the challenges of creating a better society.

Canada's Coalition to End Global Poverty
[ Canadian Council for International Co-operation ]
The Council is a coalition of Canadian voluntary sector organizations working globally to achieve sustainable human development. The Canadian Council for International Co-operation seeks to end global poverty, and to promote social justice and human dignity for all.

10-Point Agenda
CCIC refuses to accept the belief that poverty is inevitable.
Our 10-point agenda identifies key areas that collectively address the range of factors that create and perpetuate poverty.
1. Promoting Sustainable Development
2. Upholding Human Rights
3. Creating an Equitable Global Economic Order
4. Achieving Gender Equity
5. Improving the Lives of Children
6. Building Peace
7. Promoting Global Food Security
8. Promoting Individual and Corporate Social Responsibility
9. Reinvesting in Canada's Foreign Aid Program
10. Creating New Opportunities for Citizen Participation

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Links to international anti-poverty initiatives
- in reverse chronological order

United Nations calls for action and investment to eradicate global poverty
Conflict, chronic poverty and high food prices threaten children’s well-being in the eastern DRC
17 October 2009 – The United Nations today marked the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declaring that the fight against a scourge that afflicts over a billion people around the world is at a critical juncture.
Source:
United Nations

Related links:

Stand Up and Take Action
Last year, more than 116 million Stood Up and Took Action to end poverty and in support of the Millennium Development Goals.
This year, join the growing movement.
Stand with us.

Make Poverty History - Canada

The Millennium Development Goals (UN)

United Nations

End Poverty 2015 Millennium Campaign
"End poverty by 2015" is the historic promise 189 world leaders made at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 when they signed onto the Millennium Declaration and agreed to meet the Millennium Development Goals.

United States

President Obama and antipoverty policy : What does the stimulus bill do to fight poverty, educate citizens and improve public health ?, (PDF - 239K, 3 pages)
By T. Smeeding
March 2009
Source:
Institute for Research on Poverty (Madison, Wisconsin)

From OBAMA '08:

BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE:
Obama and Biden’s Plan for America
(PDF - 483K, 43 pages)
(The section on poverty reduction starts on page 55.)

Barack Obama : Plan to Combat Poverty
At a Glance:
* Expand Access to Jobs
* Make Work Pay for All Americans
* Strengthen Families
* Increase the Supply of Affordable Housing
* Tackle Concentrated Poverty

Barack Obama's Plan to Fight Poverty in America (PDF - 64K, 8 pages)

Final Report of the
Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota by 2020
(PDF - 1MB, 72 pages)
January 2009
The Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota by 2020 began its work in June 2007 and finalized its recommendations in January 2009. The Commission’s overall mission and vision are captured in both
its name and its guiding principles, which were first articulated in the Minnesota faith community (see below).

Source:
Legislative Commission to End Poverty
in Minnesota by 2020

Mission Statement:
"Develop guidelines to end poverty.
Prepare recommendation on how to end poverty in Minnesota by 2020."

A Minnesota Without Poverty
A Minnesota Without Poverty is a statewide, interfaith movement to end poverty in Minnesota by 2020, and a program of Minnesota Council of Churches. We believe that ending poverty is indeed possible, and people of faith from all over the state—public leaders, business people, educators, ordinary citizens of faith—are coming together to respond to God’s call to make this vision a reality.

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Target Practice: Lessons for Poverty Reduction (PDF - 355K, 20 pages)
January 2009
By Jodie Levin-Epstein and Webb Lyons
Target Practice outlines how governments (local, state and the federal) can use targets (goals and timelines to achieve those goals) as a policy tool for reducing poverty by drawing on lessons learned from targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and homelessness.
Source:
Poverty and Opportunity
[Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) - U.S.]
CLASP is a national nonprofit that works to improve the lives of low-income people. CLASP’s mission is to improve the economic security, educational and workforce prospects, and family stability of low-income parents, children, and youth and to secure equal justice for all. ]

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Obama puts poor back on agenda
Social policy expert John Stapleton believes new federal tax programs for working-age adults may one day be as important as today's pensions and child tax benefits.
New U.S. leader has vowed to cut poverty. Now it's time to see what Canada can do.
November 8, 2008
Laurie Monsebraaten
As part of his compelling "Yes We Can" campaign to make meaningful change in the lives of average Americans, President-elect Barack Obama promised to cut poverty in half within a decade. Canada has no plan to fight poverty. And Stephen Harper's Conservatives didn't offer one during our recent federal election. But with Obama's historic win this week, many anti-poverty activists here believe new pressure is on Ottawa to address social and economic inequality. However, social policy expert John Stapleton argues in a new report that the foundation of a Canadian plan is already in place.
Source:
The Toronto Star

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Barack Obama's Innovative War On Poverty
October 13, 2008
Source:
Huffington Post

 

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A poor measure
Let's modernize the definition of poverty.
Better information will yield better anti-poverty results
July 25, 2008
On Thursday, workers who are paid the federal minimum wage got a little salary boost. As the second of a three-step increase that will take the nation's minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, this week's 70-cent rise brought baseline hourly pay to $6.55, only slightly closer to being a living wage. For the struggling Americans known as the working poor, the bump in pay has got to be welcome. But no one should fool himself about how much relief an extra few cents an hour will mean to lean budgets pinched tight by the rising costs of fuel, food, housing and health care. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposes to tackle the poverty problem from a different angle. In mid-July, Bloomberg's office announced the city would employ a much broader method of measuring poverty than the one used since the mid-1960s by the federal government. Congress should carefully consider the merits of the New York plan.
Source:
Houston Chronicle

Related links:

Center for Economic Opportunity
The Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) was established by Mayor Bloomberg in 2006 to identify and implement innovative ways to reduce poverty in New York City. The CEO works with City agencies to design and implement evidence-based initiatives, including strategies and programs, aimed at poverty reduction.

Recent release from CEO:

First Strategy and Implementation Report
In December 2007, the Center for Economic Opportunity released its first Strategy and Implementation Report. This report describes CEO’s anti-poverty agenda and its first year of operation. In 2007, CEO launched 31 innovative, new anti-poverty efforts. The report describes CEO’s commitment to implement and evaluate new approaches to poverty reduction among the working poor, young adults, and children under five. Program descriptions are also included in the appendices.
Executive Summary (PDF - 2.3MB, 12 pages)
Complete report
(PDF - 25.5MB, 153 pages)


NEW YORK CITY MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES
NEW ALTERNATIVE TO FEDERAL POVERTY MEASURE
First Government Ever to Reformulate Faulty 40-Year Old Federal Poverty Measure
New York City to Share New Model With Other Cities Throughout the United States
News Release
July 13, 2008
Source:
New York City website


Edwards Poverty Campaign Met With Media Blackout
Posted May 15, 2008
On Tuesday, the day before he announced his support for Barack Obama, former Senator John Edwards launched a campaign to cut the nation's poverty rate in half in the next ten years. You can be excused if you hadn't heard about it. Only one major daily newspaper -- the Philadelphia Inquirer -- covered the event, which took place at a Baptist church in North Philadelphia.
(...)
The Half in Ten campaign will focus on policy solutions identified in the Center for American Progress' poverty task force report issued last year. These include expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit; raising both state and federal minimum wages; increasing the number of low-income families receiving child care assistance; increasing eligibility for unemployment insurance; and preventing predatory lending practices and preserving home ownership. The last time the U.S. committed itself to dramatically tackling poverty was during the early 1960s.
Source:
Huffington Post
[NOTE : recommended reading --- includes a good snapshot of the poverty situation in the U.S., along with an historical overview of poverty and poverty reduction from President Johnson's War on Poverty (mid-60s) to date, and links to related information - Gilles]

Edwards backs Obama
By Chuck Babbington, Associated Press
May 14, 2008
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Democrat John Edwards endorsed former rival Barack Obama on Wednesday, a move designed to help solidify support for the party's likely presidential nominee even as Hillary Rodham Clinton refuses to give up her long-shot candidacy. (...)He said Mr. Obama “stands with me” in a fight to cut poverty in half within 10 years.
Source:
The Globe and Mail

Groups Launch "Half in Ten" Anti-Poverty Campaign
May 13, 2008
On May 13, four of the nation's most prominent social justice organizations announced a new multi-year campaign to cut poverty in America in half in 10 years. The campaign, Half in Ten, will be chaired by former presidential nominee Sen. John Edwards, D. N.C. (...) "Half in Ten" is a partnership of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF), the Coalition on Human Needs (CHN), and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR).
Source:
CivilRights.org
"The civil rights coailition for the 21st century"

Half in Ten : From Poverty to Prosperity
A Campaign to Cut Poverty in the United States in Half in Ten Years
Site launched May 13

Details of the Strategy:

From Poverty to Prosperity:
A National Strategy to Cut Poverty in Half
Executive summary (HTML)
Complete report
(PDF - 8.1MB, 80 pages)
Source:
Center for American Progress Task Force on Poverty

The three links below point to relevant content from the Barack Obama and John Edwards websites on the subject of poverty.
[ NOTE : both plans below predate the launch of Half in Ten, so both websites will likely be updated in the near future to reflect the renewed commitment to poverty reduction. I assume.]

A National Goal: End Poverty Within 30 Years
NOTE: it appears that John Edwards has raised the bar with respect to his anti-poverty goals since dropping out of the presidential election campaign at the end of January 2008. The new Half in Ten goal is a ramped-up version of the anti-poverty commitments from the John Edwards' presidentail campaign website. On that site, John Edwards calls poverty 'the great moral issue of our time', and he challenges our country to cut it by a third in a decade [bolding added] and end it within 30 years.
Source:
John Edwards campaign website

BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE:
Obama and Biden’s Plan for America
(PDF - 483K, 43 pages)
(The section on poverty reduction starts on page 55.)

Barack Obama's Plan to Fight Poverty in America (PDF - 64K, 8 pages)
File dated April 20, 2008

Barack Obama : Plan to Combat Poverty
(undated Issues page - no timeframes or targets)
At a Glance:
* Expand Access to Jobs
* Make Work Pay for All Americans
* Strengthen Families
* Increase the Supply of Affordable Housing
* Tackle Concentrated Poverty

Source:
OBAMA '08


Seizing the Moment: State Governments
and the New Commitment to Reduce Poverty in America

April 2008
By Jodie Levin-Epstein and Kristen Michelle Gorzelany

The three leading presidential candidates are now on record with a public commitment to address poverty and opportunity in the United States. This is in concert with growing state efforts and signals a dramatic turnaround in tackling poverty. In just the last two years, one of every five states has taken action to put poverty on the political agenda. This joint report from CLASP and Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity outlines those efforts and provides charts detailing action by policy area.

* Complete report (PDF - 540K, 53 pages)

* Overview (PDF - 138K, 14 pages)

* State-by-State Narratives (PDF - 447K, 31 pages)

* Charts Tracking State Initiatives (PDF - 131K, 11 pages)

Sources:
Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) - CLASP is a nonprofit public policy and advocacy organization. We conduct research, policy analysis, technical assistance, and advocacy on issues related to economic security and family stability for low-income parents, children, and youth.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity - "...to make sure that 2008 sets the stage for concerted action on poverty and opportunity in 2009 and beyond."


Targeting Poverty: Aim at a Bull’s Eye (PDF - 156K, 16 pages)
Updated October 2006
By Jodie Levin-Epstein and Webb Lyons
[
The following summary of the paper is taken from the CLASP web site,
augmented by a sentence from the report itself, and a few clarifications for non-U.S. readers]:

Forty years after the War on Poverty and a year after [Hurricane] Katrina struck, commitments to tackle poverty are beginning to come back onto political and policy agendas [in the United States]. This report considers why poverty is reemerging as a political issue; how poverty is a “purple” rather than a red or blue state [Republican or Democratic] issue; what the picture of poverty looks like in the U.S.; and where poverty targets and related efforts are underway. The report identifies efforts around the nation to set poverty targets -- numerical goals and timelines -- for the reduction or elimination of poverty. For example: In California, a 2006 bill calls for child poverty to be eliminated by 2026; in Connecticut, state law already establishes that child poverty is to be reduced by 50 percent by 2014. Among the reasons why poverty may be gaining attention is the increasing concern among many Americans that at some point they and their families may experience poverty.
Source:
Center for Law and Social Policy


From Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity:

Campaigns to Fight Poverty and Increase Opportunity
- links to 17 American poverty reduction campaigns and projects

Recent U.S. Anti-Poverty Proposals
- links to 15 reports on various aspects of poverty reduction from a number of sources, ranging from The Cato Institute to The Brookings Institute.


More U.S. initiatives to reduce poverty:

* Catholic Charities USA’s Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America by 50% by 2020
* State-level approaches to reducing poverty in Minnesota, New Mexico, California, and Missouri
* the Economic Policy Institute’s Agenda for Shared Prosperity [with a focus broader than poverty only]
* Connecticut’s Policy to Reduce Child Poverty by 50% by 2014.


U.S. House of Representatives Embraces Poverty Goal
January 25, 2008
Last April, the Center for American Progress released the report of CAP’s Task Force on Poverty, From Poverty to Prosperity [see the link below], calling for a national goal of cutting poverty in half in 10 years. This week, the House of Representatives endorsed this goal, when on January, 22, 2008, the House passed House Concurrent Resolution 198 via voice vote without objection, declaring the sense of the Congress that the United States should set a national goal of cutting poverty in half over the next 10 years.

Related link:

From Poverty to Prosperity: A National Strategy to Cut Poverty in Half
April 25, 2007
"(...) The United States should set a national goal of cutting poverty in half over the next 10 years. A strategy to cut poverty in half should be guided by four principles:
* Promote Decent Work.
* Provide Opportunity for All.
* Ensure Economic Security.
* Help People Build Wealth.

Twelve key steps to cut poverty in half:

1. Raise and Index the Minimum Wage to Half the Average Hourly Wage
2. Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit
3. Promote Unionization by Enacting the Employee Free Choice Act
4. Guarantee Child Care Assistance to Low-Income Families, and Promote Early Education
5. Create Two Million New “Opportunity” Housing Vouchers, and Promote Equitable Development in and Around Central Cities
6. Connect Disadvantaged and Disconnected Youth with School and Work
7. Simplify and Expand Pell Grants and Make Higher Education Accessible for Residents of Each State
8. Help Former Prisoners Find Stable Employment and Reintegrate into Their Communities
9. Ensure Equity for Low-Wage Workers in the Unemployment Insurance System that Helps Workers and Families
11. Reduce the High Costs of Being Poor and Increase Access to Financial Services
12. Expand and Simplify the Saver’s Credit to Encourage Saving for Education, Homeownership, and Retirement
Full report (PDF - 8.1MB, 80 pages)
Executive Summary (PDF - 3.9MB, 8 pages)

Source:
Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress is a progressive think-tank
dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through ideas and action.

Also from the Center for American Progress:

Investing in Our Children: The U.S. Can Learn From the U.K.
By Jane Waldfogel
July 30, 2007
The former and newly installed British prime ministers, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, are longstanding Labour Party rivals, yet they were able to unite in what history may one day view as their most important domestic achievement—a commitment to end child poverty in the United Kingdom.
(...)
Although most of the focus in the United Kingdom is on relative poverty, the government also tracks its progress using an absolute poverty line, similar to the one the United States uses. On this measure, the United Kingdom has reduced poverty by a stunning 50 percent since the start of its anti-poverty campaign—reducing the numbers of children in absolute poverty before housing costs from 3.4 million in 1999 to 1.6 million in 2006. From a U.S. vantage point, this is a remarkable achievement.


U.S. - A new war on poverty ? Is it time for a new war on poverty? (PDF file - 3.7MB, 34 pages)
Winter 2008
The presidential candidates and top commentators weigh in.
Source:
Stanford Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality, Stanford
Geographical area : United States


U.S. Historical Initiatives: The New Deal (1933) and the War on Poverty (1964)

F.D. Roosevelt and the New Deal (1933-1938)
According to Wikipedia, "[t]he New Deal is the title that President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave to a sequence of programs and promises he initiated between 1933 and 1938 with the goal of giving relief, reform, and recovery to the people and economy of the United States during the Great Depression. During that period, Roosevelt passed banking reform laws, emergency relief programs, work relief programs, and agricultural programs. Later, a second New Deal was to evolve; it included union protection programs, the Social Security Act, and programs to aid tenant farmers and migrant workers. Thus, the 'First New Deal' of 1933 aimed at short-term recovery programs for all groups in society, while the 'Second New Deal' (1935–36) was a more radical redistribution of power away from big business and toward coal workers, farmers, and consumers. Although the New Deal greatly improved the economy, it did not end the Great Depression. The End of the Great Depression was caused by WWII."

Lyndon B. Johnson and the War on Poverty (1964-1973)
In January 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson declared War on Poverty in his State of the Union Address. "Our chief weapons in a more pinpointed attack [against poverty]", he said, "will be better schools, and better health, and better homes, and better training, and better job opportunities to help more Americans, especially young Americans, escape from squalor and misery and unemployment rolls where other citizens help to carry them."
In short order, the federal government created programs such as Job Corps, VISTA, Community Action Program, Head Start, food stamps, work study, Medicare and Medicaid, most of which still exist today. The programs initiated under Johnson brought about real results, reducing rates of poverty and improved living standards for America's poor. The Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) was the agency responsible for administering most of the War on Poverty programs; The OEO was dismantled by President Richard Nixon in 1973, though many of the agency's programs were transferred to other government agencies. If you do a Google search for "Lyndon Johnson, War on Poverty", you'll find many useful resources.

 

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International links:

United Nations


Poverty Reduction
Through the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals the world is addressing the many dimensions of human development, including halving by 2015 the proportion of people living in extreme poverty.
Source:
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
UNDP advocates for nationally-owned solutions to reduce poverty and promote human development. We sponsor innovative pilot projects; connect countries to global good practices and resources; promote the role of women in development; and bring governments, civil society and outside funders together to coordinate their efforts.

Millennium Development Goals (U.N.)
- incl. links to:
* About the MDGs * Advocacy for the MDGs * Strategies for the MDGs * Tracking the MDGs * Regional & Country Levels

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world's main development challenges. The MDGs are drawn from the actions and targets contained in the Millennium Declaration that was adopted by 189 nations-and signed by 147 heads of state and governments during the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000.

The 8 MDGs break down into 18 quantifiable targets that are measured by 48 indicators.

* Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
* Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
* Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
* Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
* Goal 5: Improve maternal health
* Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
* Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
* Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

Millennium Declaration - September 2000

Full list of MDG Goals, Targets and Indicators

2007 MDG Annual Report
[ earlier MDG reports ]

 

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Europe


Ending child poverty within the EU ? :
A review of the 2008-2010 national strategy reports on social protection and social inclusion
(PDF - 1.7MB, 22 pages)
February 2009
Geographical area : Europe
Source:
Eurochild, Brussels

Europe's anti-poverty efforts put us to shame
October 4, 2008
By Laurie Monsebraaten
The poor may not always be with us. It sounds like a radical idea, but that's just what three of the national political party leaders are telling voters in this federal election. Problem is, the party leading the polls and expected to win on Oct. 14 has been silent on the issue affecting some 3 million Canadians, including 880,000 children. And without a plan to tackle poverty – or even acknowledge it's a problem – Stephen Harper's Conservatives would appear to be behind the curve, say social policy experts.
Source:
2008 Federal Election Coverage
[ The Toronto Star ]

European Union Social Protection Social Inclusion Process
This new platform – intended to all actors involved in the field of social affairs as well as the media and the public at large – replaces the three previous websites on Social Situation and Demography, Social Protection and Social Inclusion. You will find here information on the role played by the European Union in coordinating Member States’ action to combat poverty and social exclusion, reform social protection systems and in assessing new demographic and social developments, as well as concrete examples of this endeavour.

National Action Plans Against Poverty and Social Exclusion:
National Reports on Strategies for Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2006-2008

- incl. Austria - Belgium - Bulgaria - Cyprus - Czech Republic - Denmark - Estonia - France - Finland - Germany - Greece - Hungary - Ireland - Italy - Latvia - Lithuania - Luxembourg - Malta - Netherlands - Poland - Portugal - Romania - Slovakia - Slovenia - Sweden -United Kingdom
Source:
Reports
[ part of Social Inclusion ]
[ part of Employment and Social Affairs ]
[ part of Europa - Gateway to the European Union ]

National Strategic Reports
Following the streamlining of the Open Method of Coordination on Social Protection and Social Inclusion, Member States are now charged with translating the common objectives into National Plans for each of the three areas of Social Inclusion, Pensions and Health and Long-Term Care. These plans, which cover a period of two years, are submitted to the Commission in the form of a National Report on Strategies for Social Protection and Social Inclusion.
- incl. links to National Strategy Reports on Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2008-2010, National Reports on Strategies for Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2006-2008 and updates 2007 and more

2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion
The European Commission has designated 2010 as the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. The € 17 million campaign aims to reaffirm the EU's commitment to making a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty by 2010. "The fight against poverty and social exclusion is one of the EU's central objectives and our shared approach has been an important tool to guide and support action in the Member States," said Social Affairs Commissioner Vladimír Špidla.

 

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Ireland

Office for Social Inclusion
The Office for Social Inclusion is the Irish Government Office with overall responsibility for developing,
co-ordinating and driving Ireland's National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2007 - 2016

Department of Social and Family Affairs
The Office for Social Inclusion is part of the Department of Social and Family Affairs. Our mission is to promote a caring society through ensuring access to income support and other services, enabling active participation, promoting social inclusion and supporting families.

NOTE:
The Department's website has been updated, and much of their poverty reduction information has mysteriously disappeared (i.e., the bolded content below, in this box.)
I went to the Internet Archive and searched for older versions of the site where these texts could still be found. The link below takes you to a complete archived copy of the entire website as it existed in February 2008. Click the link and try to find the lost links below...

I can't find the following links in the new departmental website:
(check theDepartment of Social and Family Affairs - February 2008 version of the site)

------------

* National Anti-Poverty Strategy (NAPS) Index
The Office for Social Inclusion, established in December 2002, took over the functions of NAPS unit. The Office has the overall responsibility for developing, co-ordinating and driving Ireland's National Action Plan for Social Inclusion (NAPinclusion).The new Plan was published on 21 February 2007 and covers the ten year period between 2007-2016.

* National Action Plan - links to backgrounder and annual reports

* Information on the Office for Social Inclusion
The Office for Social Inclusion (OSI) of the Department of Social and Family Affairs is the Irish Government Office with overall responsibility for developing, co-ordinating and driving the governments social inclusion agenda

* Social Inclusion Strategy - links to a dozen papers

-------

For more info on the Internet Archive, see http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/reference.htm

Related links:

European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland
EAPN Ireland is a network of groups and individuals working against poverty. It is the Irish national network of the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN Europe), which aims to put the fight against poverty at the top of the EU, national and local agenda.

What the poor need: A strategy
Ireland dramatically reduced its poverty rate, so why can't rich Canada do the same?

September 20, 2006
By: LAURIE MONSEBRAATEN
When Ireland decided in the mid-1990s to tackle the pervasive and grinding poverty dogging the country, the national government crafted a plan and set a goal. Ten years later, the country has cut its poverty rate from 15 per cent to less than 5 per cent.
Source:
The Toronto Star


Poverty Reduction Strategies in the United Kingdom and Ireland
By Chantal Collin (Political and Social Affairs Division)
2 November 2007
HTML version
PDF version
(98 Kb, 15 pages)
[ version française ]
Table of Contents:
* Introduction
The United Kingdom’s Strategy to Reduce Poverty and Social Exclusion
(...)
Ireland’s National Anti-Poverty Strategy
* A. Multi-dimensional Approach
* B. Key Targets
* C. Measuring Success
* D. What’s Next? National Action Plan for Social Inclusion
* Summary
From the Parliamentary Research Library:
(Government of Canada)

 

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United Kingdom


From 2008 Budget documents (HM Treasury) :

Ending child poverty: everybody's business
12 March 2008
In 1999, the Government set an ambitious target to eradicate child poverty within a generation. Child poverty doubled in the 20 years from the late 1970s to the mid 1990s, but this rise has been reversed: 600,000 children have been lifted out of relative poverty since 1997. However, a significant number of families still experience relative poverty. (...) Ending child poverty: everybody's business sets out the next steps, including the measures announced in Budget 2008, that will make further significant progress to halving child poverty by 2010. The document also sets out the Governments vision for a renewed drive on child poverty for the next decade including a number of areas of further work and approaches the Government will pilot that will help develop the strategy for 2020.

Ending child poverty: everybody's business (PDF file - 1.3MB, 87 pages)
March 2008

Source:
Budget 2008
Stability and opportunity: building a strong, sustainable future

12 March 2008


Department for Work and Pensions
"The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is here to:
* promote opportunity and independence for all
* help individuals achieve their potential through employment
* work to end poverty in all its forms."

Our Child Poverty Strategy - March 2007
* Working for Children (PDF - 721KB)
* Executive summary (PDF - 105KB)

New Joint Child Poverty Unit
On 29 October 2007 DWP and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) announced the creation of their Joint Child Poverty Unit. This Unit brings together the child poverty policy officials and analysts in the two departments, along with Neera Sharma on secondment from Barnados, to take the Government’s child poverty strategy to its next stage of development.
The role of the Unit is to:
- provide an integrated approach across Government to tackling child poverty
- build on the Child Poverty Review, by taking stock and taking forward the strategic direction to eradicate child poverty by 2020
- engage all our stakeholders, learning from their expertise
- engage those in local service delivery to take ownership to support our commitments
- undertake research and analysis to support the development of successful policies.
* Read the press release ( 29 October 2007)
* Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) website

'Working Together' – United Kingdom National Action Plan on Social Inclusion 2006-2008
Working Together' is the third UK National Action Plan (NAP) on social exclusion. It explains how people from across the UK will be co-operating from 2006 to 2008 to tackle social exclusion and make a decisive impact on poverty.
- includes links to several related reports


The Poverty Site
This site monitors what is happening to poverty and social exclusion in the UK and complements our annual monitoring reports. The material is organised around 50 statistical indicators covering all aspects of the subject, from income and work to health and education.

Poverty and social exclusion monitoring reports
- incl. links to studies and reports on the following: * UK * Ethnicity * Disability * Scotland * Wales * Northern Ireland * Rural England * Social exclusion * Low pay * Government strategy

Links
- incl. links organized under the following topics : * Income * Work * Low pay * Education * Health * Housing * Crime * Services * Social cohesion * Children * Datasets

Reports

Source:
New Policy Institute


Joseph Roundtree Foundation
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is one of the largest social policy research and development charities in the UK. We spend over £10 million a year on our research and development programme. For over one hundred years we have been searching out the causes of social problems, investigating solutions and seeking to influence those who can make changes.

Monitoring poverty and social exclusion 2007 (December 2007) - United Kingdom
- the annual report on the state of poverty and social exclusion in the United Kingdom covers low income, work, education, health, housing, disadvantaged children and exclusion from services. Provides a comprehensive analysis of trends and differences between groups; examines the progress being made on reducing poverty and social exclusion, in light of the Government's ambitious target to halve child poverty by 2010.
Complete report (PDF file - 480K, 140 pages)
Key Points (Selected findings):
* Half of children in poverty are still in working families.
* Overall poverty levels in 2006 were the same as in 2002.
* Child poverty in 2006 was still 500,000 higher than the target set for 2005.
* Overall earnings inequalities are widening.
* Disability rather than lone parenthood is the factor most likely to lead to worklessness

Labour’s welfare reform: Progress to date
November 2004
Since 1997, the Government has pursued a number of inter-related policies aimed at reforming the welfare system for people of working age, getting more people into work and reducing poverty. Joseph Rowntree Foundation research had identified many of the needs of targeted groups, and the Foundation has been involved in commenting on reform plans and tracking progress. This Foundations, written by Donald Hirsch with Jane Millar, is a round-up of what JRF has had to say about welfare reform and related issues since the late 1990s, and provides an assessment of the progress made.

Source:
Joseph Roundtree Foundation


The UK Commitment: Ending Child Poverty by 2020 (PDF file - 100K, 17 pages)
by Elisa Minoff
January 30, 2006
In 1999, the United Kingdom (UK) announced its pledge to cut child poverty by one-quarter by 2004 and eliminate it by 2020. This paper examines the history of this ambitious commitment, and the progress to date. It also analyzes the components of the national effort—which range from employment supports, asset building initiatives, and child-targeted assistance to tax, welfare, and education policies—and the next steps the UK is considering to meet the goal of eradicating child poverty.
Source:
Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) - U.S.
"...a national, nonprofit organization founded in 1968, conducts research, policy analysis, technical assistance, and advocacy on issues related to economic security for low-income families with children."


Child Poverty Action Group: fighting the injustice of poverty (CPAG)
CPAG is the leading charity campaigning for the abolition of child poverty in the UK and for a better deal for low-income families and children.

Meeting the Government's Child Poverty Target: progress to date (PDF - 120K, 11 pages)
September 2007
CPAG briefing summarising key facts and figures from the latest issue of Households Below Average Incomes, an annual report of the Department for Work and Pensions that is the source of the data which is used to measure progress against the Government's child poverty targets, i.e., to halve child poverty by 2010/11 and eradicate it by 2020. The latest issue covers the period 1994/5 to 2005/06..


Poverty Reduction Strategies in the United Kingdom and Ireland
By Chantal Collin (Political and Social Affairs Division)
2 November 2007
HTML version
PDF version
(98 Kb, 15 pages)
[ version française ]
Table of Contents:
* Introduction
The United Kingdom’s Strategy to Reduce Poverty and Social Exclusion
* A. A Multi-pronged Approach
* B. Key Objectives and Measures
* C. Measuring Success
* D. Key Challenges
* E. What’s Next? Reaching Out
Ireland's National Anti-Poverty Strategy
(...)
Source:
Parliamentary Research Library
(Government of Canada)

 

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Australia

A stronger, fairer Australia (PDF - 3.7MB, 92 pages)
19 February 2010
Launched on 28 January 2010, A Stronger, Fairer Australia sets out the Australian Government’s vision and strategy for social inclusion, now and into the future. Social Inclusion means ensuring no Australian is left behind by giving all the opportunities, resources, capabilities and responsibilities to learn, work, connect with others and have a say in community life. The statement sets out a new approach to break down the barriers that stand between the most disadvantaged Australians and participation. Despite a strong economy in recent years, disadvantage still prevents many Australians from getting a fair go.
Source:
Social Inclusion
[ Australian Government ]


Miscellaneous international poverty reduction resources


The World Bank

PovertyNet
PovertyNet provides an introduction to key issues as well as in-depth information on poverty measurement, monitoring, analysis, and on poverty reduction strategies for researchers and practitioners.

Poverty Reduction Strategies
Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) describe a country's macroeconomic, structural and social policies and programs to promote growth and reduce poverty, as well as associated external financing needs. PRSPs are prepared by governments through a participatory process involving civil society and development partners, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source:
The World Bank
The World Bank is like a cooperative, where its 185 member countries are shareholders. The shareholders are represented by a Board of Governors, who are the ultimate policy makers at the World Bank. Generally, the governors are member countries' ministers of finance or ministers of development.


International Monetary Fund
The IMF is an international organization of 185 member countries. It was established to promote international monetary cooperation, exchange stability, and orderly exchange arrangements; to foster economic growth and high levels of employment; and to provide temporary financial assistance to countries to help ease balance of payments adjustment.

Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP)
Last updated March 28, 2008
- incl. links to the latest PRSPs, organized by country or by date, PLUS (at the bottom of the list) a collection of links to policy papers and other related documents
Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) are prepared by the member countries through a participatory process involving domestic stakeholders as well as external development partners, including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Updated every three years with annual progress reports, PRSPs describe the country's macroeconomic, structural and social policies and programs over a three year or longer horizon to promote broad-based growth and reduce poverty, as well as associated external financing needs and major sources of financing.

Joint Staff Advisory Notes
of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) or Interim PRSPs

Last updated: March 27, 2008
The Joint Staff Advisory Notes (JSANs) are documents prepared by the staffs of the Bank and the Fund containing an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the poverty reduction strategy of the member concerned and identifying priority areas for strengthening the poverty reduction strategy during implementation.


Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The OECD brings together the governments of countries committed to democracy and the market economy from around the world to:
• Support sustainable economic growth • Boost employment • Raise living standards • Maintain financial stability • Assist other countries' economic development • Contribute to growth in world trade. The OECD also shares expertise and exchanges views with more than 100 other countries and economies, from Brazil, China, and Russia to the least developed countries in Africa.

What Works Best in Reducing Child Poverty:
A Benefit or Work Strategy?
(PDF file - 450K, 54 pages)
Working Paper No. 51
March 5, 2007
By Peter Whiteford and Willem Adema
Table of contents : * Family and child poverty – trends, risks and composition * Tax and benefit policies and their effect on poverty and employment * The effect of “benefit” and/or “work” strategies * Conclusions

Source:
OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers
[ Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs ]
[ Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ]

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