This week the Nova Scotia branch of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released a new report about child and family poverty in our province.
Read now » 2019 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Nova Scotia: Three Decades Lost
It has been 30 years since an all-party resolution was passed by the House of Commons to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000. It is strikingly clear that we have failed, as 19 years past the deadline 40,710 children — about 1 in 4 — still live in poverty in our province. Nova Scotia has reduced child poverty less than 1% from 1989 levels, an uninspiring outcome that is outperformed by every other province in the country.
Child poverty in Nova Scotia is the most severe for our youngest children. For children aged 0-2 years, the child poverty rate is 31 percent, representing 7910 infants in families that struggle to meet their needs during this crucial stage of development.
We must shift our political agenda in Nova Scotia to not just focus on a growing economy. We must set clear political goals and act to create greater well-being. The fact that poverty remains this prevalent shows that we have a broken political system
We must look at the evidence that shows that larger intervention is needed. This intervention must involve the creation of labour laws that contribute to shared prosperity with workers. This requires policies that legislate minimum wages that align with the cost of living. It means government investments and programming where the free market has failed to deliver on life’s essentials, such as affordable housing, drug plans and child care. It involves transferring wealth directly to those who need direct income supports. It involves valuing the work of professional care and recognizing that our patriarchal system has placed too much burden on the unpaid and underappreciated work of women to provide care for the most vulnerable in our society.