Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Linking Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy to Women's Employment and Training
The Ontario government's Throne Speech in November 2007 states that: "A new cabinet committee will begin work developing poverty indicators and targets and a focused strategy for making clear-cut progress on reducing child poverty. The strategy includes a plan that would provide dental benefits to low-income families, and builds on measures already in progress. These include boosting the minimum wage to $10.25 by 2010, increasing child care spaces and providing more affordable housing…[and] fully implement the new Ontario Child Benefit, raising it to $1,100 per child."
The anti-poverty cabinet committee is being led by Minister Deb Mathews, who also happens to be the Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues. Other high profile ministers will sit on the committee, including Minister John Milloy, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, suggesting that the committee is taking a broad and inclusive approach to strategizing poverty reduction in Ontario, including employment and training as a key component along with the focuses listed in the throne speech.
The question yet to be asked and answered is: will the committee consider how gender and equity affect experiences of poverty and pathways towards sustainable livelihoods? ACTEW’s research on women and work finds that women are much more likely to live in poverty, have reduced access to EI and have different labour patterns due in large part to shouldering the responsibility for dependent care.
Note that while several provinces are pursuing poverty reduction strategies, there is no such approach to date at the national level. Campaign 2000 is encouraging the federal government to commit to a national poverty reduction strategy. Their 2007 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty, revealed that 18 years after the 1989 all-party resolution of the House of Commons, the child poverty rate is exactly the same, despite a growing economy, a soaring dollar and low unemployment. (It's important to point out that women are statistically much more likely to be sole-support parents, and statistically more likely to live in poverty, along with their children) In a letter anticipating the First Ministers’ meeting, there was a focus on Employment Insurance coverage (which women, though statistically more likely to live in poverty, are also less likely to qualify or receive EI benefits):
"Employment Insurance coverage, on the table for the First Ministers, should be part of the national Poverty Reduction Strategy. 'This is a self-funded program with huge surpluses that covers less than 40% of unemployed Canadians,' said Anne Decter, national campaign coordinator. 'The money is there, paid in by people who can’t collect when they need it. It’s hard to see the fairness of letting Canadians fall into poverty when they lose their jobs while money deducted from their paycheques sits in a surplus account.'"
We will post updates from the Ontario Committee's work as well as community responses as they are released.
The anti-poverty cabinet committee is being led by Minister Deb Mathews, who also happens to be the Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues. Other high profile ministers will sit on the committee, including Minister John Milloy, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, suggesting that the committee is taking a broad and inclusive approach to strategizing poverty reduction in Ontario, including employment and training as a key component along with the focuses listed in the throne speech.
The question yet to be asked and answered is: will the committee consider how gender and equity affect experiences of poverty and pathways towards sustainable livelihoods? ACTEW’s research on women and work finds that women are much more likely to live in poverty, have reduced access to EI and have different labour patterns due in large part to shouldering the responsibility for dependent care.
Note that while several provinces are pursuing poverty reduction strategies, there is no such approach to date at the national level. Campaign 2000 is encouraging the federal government to commit to a national poverty reduction strategy. Their 2007 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty, revealed that 18 years after the 1989 all-party resolution of the House of Commons, the child poverty rate is exactly the same, despite a growing economy, a soaring dollar and low unemployment. (It's important to point out that women are statistically much more likely to be sole-support parents, and statistically more likely to live in poverty, along with their children) In a letter anticipating the First Ministers’ meeting, there was a focus on Employment Insurance coverage (which women, though statistically more likely to live in poverty, are also less likely to qualify or receive EI benefits):
"Employment Insurance coverage, on the table for the First Ministers, should be part of the national Poverty Reduction Strategy. 'This is a self-funded program with huge surpluses that covers less than 40% of unemployed Canadians,' said Anne Decter, national campaign coordinator. 'The money is there, paid in by people who can’t collect when they need it. It’s hard to see the fairness of letting Canadians fall into poverty when they lose their jobs while money deducted from their paycheques sits in a surplus account.'"
We will post updates from the Ontario Committee's work as well as community responses as they are released.
Labels: Issues_and_Trends, MTCU_Updates, Resources_and_Research
