House of Commons Canada Country Resources Development and Poverty Strategies Canada 31 December 2010 Guidelines

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In 1989, the House of Commons unanimously resolved to eliminate child poverty by
the year 2000. However, no long-term action plan was developed to meet this goal and
monitor progress. Despite some improvement, poverty remains a significant problem in
Canada.....
The rates of family and child poverty are unacceptably high taking into account
Canada’s high quality of living standard. Interest groups defending the rights of people
living in poverty have stressed the need for further action from all government levels.
The National Council of Welfare (NCW) as well as other social policy advocates and antipoverty organizations specifically asked the federal government to take a leadership role and establish a national poverty reduction strategy.
The Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (hereafter the Committee) heard their call for action and, on February 14, 2008, decided to undertake a study on the role of the federal government in reducing poverty in Canada. During the 2nd session of the 39th Parliament, the Committee held seven meetings on the matter. During those initial meetings, Committee members learned that poverty reduction strategies being implemented in certain European countries and Canadian provinces were showing positive results and could effectively reduce some of the risk factors that contribute to poverty. The Committee also heard from department officials and social policy experts who provided members with an overview of poverty in Canada, its underlying causes and its socio-economic costs. Some witnesses also discussed issues related to measuring low income and poverty in Canada. The Committee was told that to prevent, reduce and alleviate poverty, a comprehensive, integrated and multi-faceted approach was needed and that the federal government had an important role to play in this regard.

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