Canada Without Poverty has a big goal – to eradicate poverty in Canada – but did you know, we are a small team of three individuals working out of a shared office in Ottawa? Well you aren’t alone. Lately, we’ve noticed that when we talk about CWP, people are shocked that we have such a large impact while being such a tiny organization. We thought it would be fun to share some things we get asked about most often.
Did you know? Canada Without Poverty has been working to eradicate poverty for over 43 years. We were established as the National Anti-Poverty Organization or NAPO in 1971, and in 2009 we changed our name to Canada Without Poverty to better reflect our name expresses the end that we seek – to eliminate poverty in Canada.
Did you know? Our Board of Directors is made up of individuals who have a direct, personal experience of poverty. Our Board is deeply engaged with combatting poverty in their own communities across Canada. We also have five honourary directors, Ed Broadbent, Monique Bégin, Hon. Louise Arbour, Ovide Mercredi and the Right Honourable Charles Joseph (“Joe”) Clark.
Did you know? National media outlets consider Canada Without Poverty as the “go-to” organization for comments on national issues. National media outlets, such as the Globe and Mail, CBC, CTV, CBC Radio, Toronto Star, Postmedia Newspapers, Rabble.ca, the Huffington Post, and many others have all called our small office looking for our big ideas.
Did you know? CWP has only four staff members. We are lucky to have volunteers and placement students join us throughout the year. We all squeeze into a nice cozy office with three desks and one printer.
Did you know? A core part of our mandate is that recognition of human rights is key to the elimination of poverty.
Did you know? Politicians for all parties, have consulted with CWP, on pieces of legislation or proposed pieces of legislation at all levels of governments. We are often asked to present in front of parliamentary committees, meet provincial parliamentarians, and speak with city council members across the country on issues of human rights and poverty.
Did you know? Along with many other non-profit organizations, we lost our government funding in 2008. Since then, we have relied solely on funding from individuals and a select number of institutional donors whose mandates align with our own.
Did you know? Our Executive Director, Leilani Farha, is an internationally recognized human rights lawyer. This past spring she was appointed as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, and travels the world to study and report on issues of poverty and housing.
Did you know? We believe that education is essential to achieve our goals. We offer in person workshops in places like Vancouver, Ottawa and Calgary. We also give an online course for individuals to learn about their rights and responsibilities in relation to human rights and poverty in Canada.
Did you know? In 1993, NAPO was the first Non-Governmental Organization to make an oral presentation to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and has appeared before the committee at all subsequent reviews of Canada’s compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Is there anything you’ve been wondering about CWP? Fill out this form to let us know!
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