KJIPUKTUK (HALIFAX, NS) – Today, is a decisive moment in the province as the first day of the legislature for Nova Scotia’s proposed fiscal, economic, and social budget plan for 2022-2023. This reset of the province’s financial cycle is a policy window for social change. In the spirit of the possibility of this moment, today the Nova Scotia Action Coalition for Community Well-Being is re-launching The Policy Not Charity Campaign. The NSACCW is calling on all Nova Scotians to take immediate action by demanding their MLA’s and Premier Tim Houston eradicate poverty by investing in affordable housing, public and social infrastructure, government income support, and increasing the minimum wage to $15 in the next year with a plan to make it a living wage. Now is the time to take action. With the release of a renewed provincial budget plan, eradicating poverty in Nova Scotia is a viable future that can be acted on today.
Today as the first day of the legislature for Nova Scotia’s proposed budget reset for 2022-2023, the Nova Scotia Action Coalition for Community Well-Being is re-launching a video campaign on the viable possibility of ending poverty in Nova Scotia through public policy. The Policy Not Charity Campaign is calling on all Nova Scotians to take action by calling on their MLAs to implement progressive policy to end poverty.
Take action now…
- Share this site and our campaign video with your community.
- Send the video to your MLA, and ask if they support progressive policy to end poverty.
- Share a message with the party leaders.
- Sign up to stay informed about our campaign
The Child Poverty Report Card, released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA-NS), illuminates the troubling reality of Nova Scotia’s overwhelming need for financial re-prioritization. It is revealed that Nova Scotia has performed the worst out of all the provinces in its efforts to reduce child poverty between 1989 and 2019. It is a shameful reality that the policy decisions of Nova Scotia’s politicians have only been reduced by 0.1 of a percentage point in Nova Scotia over the last 30 years.
The NSACCW emphasizes that the financial priorities in this budget is critical for the safety and wellbeing of families and individuals across Nova Scotia—especially our neighbours who are already suffering from Nova Scotia’s austere public spending decisions from the 2021-2022 budget plan. The 2021-2022 budget summary estimated just $132,782 in expenses relating to Infrastructure and Housing—a stark example of Nova Scotia’s current austere policy agenda.
The decision to ignore the province’s desperate need for public policy to end poverty does not reflect the connection that Nova Scotians have for one another. Despite our strong values of caring and connection, our politicians have made policy choices that have left over 100,000 Nova Scotians suffering, and 1-4 children trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty.
Poverty is preventable. A revised budget that re-orients a financial focus on the needs of Nova Scotians that ensures access to secure & affordable housing, extended universal public health care, and a livable income & dignified work for all.
The campaign video can be found here.
Please visit https://www.policynotcharity.ca/, which lists the progressive policy needed to end poverty in Nova Scotia. The NSACCW urges Nova Scotians to realize the very real possibility of ending poverty in the province and demand their MLA for progressive policy change.