Decision to cut poverty advisory group is wrong, say anti-poverty leaders
Ottawa and Toronto – The National Council of Welfare does not duplicate any other organization in the nonprofit sector, and the federal government’s termination of funding for this poverty advisory group with unprecedented statutory powers will undermine national efforts to combat poverty, say Campaign 2000 and Canada Without Poverty.
On April 2, Kellie Leitch, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, informed the House of Commons that,
With respect to the National Council of Welfare, we are putting our policy resources to best use and reducing duplication. Examples of high profile organizations, not for profit organizations that focus on this area are Campaign 2000 or Canada Without Poverty.
Founded in 1963, the Council is a government-appointed impartial advisory body that, by law, advises the the federal government on issues of poverty in Canada. The council most recently produced an eye opening report called the Dollars and Sense of Solving Poverty, which assesses the importance of poverty eradication for economic productivity and prosperity.”
“The National Council of Welfare should not be eliminated,” says Laurel Rothman, National Coordinator for Campaign 2000. “With the termination of the long form census and now the National Council of Welfare, Canadians who want to see a reduction in, and the eventual eradication of poverty in Canada are being denied access to information that is pertinent to their work. The Council does not duplicate the work undertaken by anti-poverty organizations in Canada. The decision to axe the Council is a blow to the social policy work that needs to be undertaken by the federal government. The government’s decision is unwarranted and shows the lack of interest in the well-being of people living in poverty in this climate of austerity.”
“There is so much work that needs to be undertaken to realize a poverty-free Canada, and thus a healthier, more prosperous and safer Canada,” adds Rob Rainer, Executive Director of Canada Without Poverty. “The National Council of Welfare has had special capacity for research and analysis concerning poverty. The decision to terminate the Council is a signal from the federal government that it effectively wishes to disengage from the cause of combating poverty in Canada.”
