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Group urges supporters across the country to pressure the Harper government to take action on urgent parliamentary committee report.
Ottawa (26 Nov. 2010) - A parliamentary committee has just put forward a report calling on the Harper government to make an immediate commitment to a national plan to reduce poverty in Canada.
The report is entitled Federal Poverty Reduction Plan: Working in Partnership Towards Reducing Poverty in Canada.
The recommendations contained in the report have the full support of Dignity for All, a multi-year, multi-partner, non-partisan campaign dedicated to a poverty-free and more socially secure and cohesive Canada by 2020.
Groups involved in the campaign include Canada Without Poverty, Citizens for Public Justice and Make Poverty History. The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is also a strong supporter.
The conviction behind the campaign is that Canadians must respect and defend the right of every person to dignity and security.
Dignity for All, and supporting organizations, contributed to the report and is pushing to make its recommendations a reality. Please go to this page on the Make Poverty History website and add your name by filling out the form at the bottom of the page.
The report is the result of an three-year study by the Parliamentary Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) on the role of the federal government in addressing poverty.
Key components of the reduction plan recommended by the committee include:
- Raising the Canada Child Tax Benefit and supplement to $5,000 within five years.
- A long-term national housing and homelessness strategy.
- Measures to help the most vulnerable including a refundable disability tax credit, easing EI qualifications, increasing adult literacy, raising and indexing the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) for seniors and implementing an early learning and child care strategy.
- Providing major help for Aboriginal people for housing, education and social services, including elimination of the 2% cap on federal funding.
So far the Harper government has ignored recommendations contained in similar reports on poverty from the Senate.
"Don't let this happen again," the campaign urges.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE
More information:
• Federal Poverty Reduction Plan: Working in Partnership Towards Reducing Poverty in Canada
• Support the Report: Help Make a Breakthrough on Poverty in Canada