Ottawa Must Get Serious about Poverty Reduction

This op ed was published in the Globe and Mail on October 29, 2015.  It called upon the federal government to develop a National Poverty Strategy.  Every province and territory but British Columbia has a poverty reduction strategy in place or in development.  Several cities do as well.

Despite Ottawa’s responsibility for more than three-quarters of income security payments in the country, it had not assumed leadership on this front over the past ten years.  While a National Poverty Strategy is no panacea, it can set important goals, create mechanisms to monitor progress, and improve coordination of the government departments and non-governmental organizations involved in the multiple routes to poverty reduction – including training, literacy programs, affordable housing and reformed social assistance.

ISBN – 1-55382-660-4