Canada’s Poverty Reduction Strategy – An Update 2019 Canada’s Poverty Reduction Strategy – An Update This publication is available for download at canada.ca/publicentre-ESDC. It is available upon request in multiple formats (large print, MP3, braille, audio CD, e-text CD, DAISY or accessible PDF), by contacting 1 800 O-Canada (1-800-622-6232). By teletypewriter (TTY), call 1-800-926-9105. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2019 For information regarding reproduction rights: [email protected]. PDF Cat. No.: Em20-136/2019E-PDF ISBN: 978-0-660-31926-1 ESDC Cat. No.: SP-1215-08-19E IMPLEMENTATION OF THE POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY TIMELINE October 2016 February 2017 September 2017 Release of Towards a Poverty Reduction Strategy– Launch of consultation process to inform the Formation of Ministerial 2016 Discussion Paper to help guide Poverty Reduction 2017 development of a Canadian Poverty Reduction Advisory Committee to provide Strategy consultations. Strategy. Thousands consulted from coast advice to the Minister of Families, to coast to coast. Children and Social Development on poverty-related issues. National Poverty Conference in Ottawa to bring February 2018 November 2017 together stakeholders and individuals with lived experience Release of Canadian Poverty 2018 Launch of National Housing Strategy to help of poverty and to conclude engagement. Winners of Reduction Strategy report: ensure that Canadians have access to housing #ReducePoverty in Canada Youth Contest presented What We Heard About Poverty So Far. that meets their needs and that they can afford. their poverty reduction proposals. August 2018 Release of Opportunity for All– Canada’s First June 21, 2019 Poverty Reduction The becomes law. This Act entrenches Strategy. Poverty Reduction Act 2019 into legislation: ambitious and concrete poverty reduction targets; an official measure of poverty: Canada’s Official Poverty Line; and an arms-length National Advisory Council on Poverty. Canada’s Poverty Reduction Strategy – An Update 2019 1 Opportunity For All– Canada’s First Poverty Reduction Strategy On August 21, 2018, the Government of Canada released Opportunity for All – Canada’s First Poverty Reduction Strategy Opportunity for All brings together Opportunity for All includes long-term investments of $22 billion that the commitments to guide the Government Government has made since 2015 of Canada’s actions and investments to support the social and economic including: establishing Canada’s well-being of all Canadians. Beyond first-ever Official Poverty Line; concrete children and seniors, investments poverty reduction targets; a data and cover areas such as housing, clean measurement plan to address data water, health, transportation, early gaps and track progress on poverty; learning and child care, and skills and the establishment of the National employment, which will help address Advisory Council on Poverty; multiple dimensions of poverty. and poverty reduction legislation. Opportunity for All is based on three pillars to focus government actions to reduce poverty: nnDignity: Lifting Canadians out of poverty by ensuring basic needs— such as safe and affordable housing, healthy food, and health care are met; nnOpportunity and Inclusion: Helping Canadians join the middle class by promoting full participation in society and equality of opportunity; and nnResilience and Security: Supporting the middle class by protecting Canadians from falling into poverty and by supporting income security and resilience. Canada’s Poverty Reduction Strategy – An Update 2019 2 OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL CANADA’S FIRST POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY CANADA’S OFFICIAL • The first official poverty line in Canada’s history POVERTY LINE • Reduce poverty by 20% by 2020 and by 50% by 2030, as measured by Canada’s Official Poverty Line • Reduce chronic homelessness by 50% TARGETS • End all long-term drinking water advisories on public systems on reserve by March 2021 • Housing need reduced or eliminated for 530,000 households NATIONAL ADVISORY • Track and publicly report on progress, provide advice COUNCIL and continue dialogue with Canadians ON POVERTY MEASUREMENT • Improve understanding of poverty by regularly updating AND TRACKING Canada’s Official Poverty Line, addressing data gaps PROGRESS and tracking progress through an indicator dashboard POVERTY • Propose to legislate the vision, targets, Canada’s Official REDUCTION Poverty Line as the official measure of poverty LEGISLATION and accountability mechanisms PILLARS DIGNITY OPPORTUNITY and INCLUSION RESILIENCE and SECURITY Lift Canadians out of poverty by Help Canadians join the Support the middle class by ensuring basic needs are met middle class by promoting protecting Canadians from falling full participation in society into poverty and by supporting and equality of opportunity income security and resilience Government investments that support poverty reduction A COURSE OF ACTION THAT IS meaningful, measurable and monitored Canada’s Poverty Reduction Strategy – An Update 2019 3 “The first poverty reduction strategy “We are certainly excited that is an important new starting point in the vision of this strategy includes the battle against poverty in Canada.” working towards a ‘Canada without poverty’ and recognizes the role that – Anita Khanna, (former) National Coordinator, Campaign 2000 systemic discrimination plays as a barrier to people living in poverty.” – Leilani Farha, Executive Director, Canada Without Poverty, August 21, 2018 From February to September 2017, the Government of Canada held a nation-wide consultation process to engage Canadians on key issues related to poverty. During these In September 2015, Canada was consultations, Canadians shared one of 150 countries to adopt a set first-hand accounts of living in poverty, of 17 Sustainable Development Goals how government measures have been to end poverty, protect the planet helpful in reducing poverty and where and ensure prosperity for all as part further work could be done to provide of a new sustainable development further support. agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved by 2030. The long-term Canadians called target of Opportunity for All to for a bold vision reduce poverty by 50% by 2030 is aligned with the first Sustainable Opportunity for All offers a vision Development Goal: “By 2030, reduce for Canada as a world leader in at least by half the proportion of men, the eradication of poverty, with women and children of all ages progress validated in terms of its living in poverty in all its dimensions alignment with the United Nations (UN) according to national definitions.” Sustainable Development Goal of ending poverty. Canada’s On June 28, 2019, the Government of commitment to poverty reduction Canada released Towards Canada’s also contributes to meeting Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy, international human rights obligations, which establishes the foundation including under the International for developing a Canadian Indicator Covenant on Economic, Social and Framework adapted to Canadian Cultural Rights, the Convention on reality to accurately report on the Rights of the Child, the Convention progress made with the Sustainable on the Rights of Persons with Development Goals. Disabilities, and the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women. Canada’s Poverty Reduction Strategy – An Update 2019 4 Canadians called for concrete and meaningful targets “Canada finally has an official poverty line. That’s a big deal.” sets concrete poverty Opportunity for All – Jennifer Robson, Associate Professor, reduction targets: a 20% reduction in School of Public Policy and Administration, poverty by 2020 and a 50% reduction Carleton University, Twitter, August 21, 2018 in poverty by 2030 based on Canada’s Official Poverty Line, which, relative to 2015 levels, would lead to the lowest poverty rate in Canada’s history. The Poverty Reduction Strategy’s commitments around data include These targets also align with target 1.2 comprehensive reviews of the Market of the UN’s Sustainable Development Basket Measure on a regular basis as Goal 1: “By 2030, reduce at least by determined by Statistics Canada as well half the proportion of men, women and as annual updates; improvements to children of all ages living in poverty in the Canadian Income Survey including all its dimensions according to national the collection of food security and unmet definitions”. health care needs data; development of the Market Basket Measure for the Canadians called for North; provisional income estimates; and research related to the common understanding enhancements of income concepts and measurement of poverty such as rent geared to income. The Poverty Reduction Strategy sets an The Poverty Reduction Strategy also official measure of poverty: the Market introduced a dashboard of indicators Basket Measure as Canada’s Official to reflect these multiple dimensions Poverty Line, based on the cost of of poverty. This dashboard allows a basket of goods and services that Canadians to track progress on the individuals and families require to meet many aspects of poverty, from different their basic needs and achieve a modest measures of low income, to Canadians standard of living in communities in housing need, to the differences in across the country. earnings and life outcomes between low-income Canadians and those While Canada’s Official Poverty Line in the middle class. sets a baseline, the Poverty Reduction Strategy underscores the importance