The Campaign Against Child Poverty has placed the
following
Public Education Messages in major Canadian newspapers over the past
few years.
Message #17
- Toronto Star, June 6, 2009
ELIMINATING CHILD POVERTY
IS JUNE CALDWOOD'S
UNFINISHED BUSINESS.
“When you see an injustice, you have the responsibility to act.”
June Callwood
(June 2, 1924 – April 14, 2007)
We owe it to her to see the job through.
June Callwood Children’s Day – June 2, 2009
On June 2, Ontario celebrated June Callwood
Children’s Day, proclaimed in honour of a
remarkable woman and her tireless efforts to
end child poverty. June believed that all children
deserve access to the basic necessities of life.
We think she’d be eager to see the progress that
has been made on the issue that was so close
to her heart.
Making a real difference in children’s lives.
Last December, the Ontario government
introduced their Poverty Reduction Strategy,
a comprehensive plan to reduce poverty in
this province by 25% over 5 years. That would
lift 90,000 children out of poverty by 2013.
Significant investments are already being made
in crucial areas such as affordable housing and
the Ontario Child Benefit. An inter-ministerial
Results Team will monitor progress. Communities
across the province are rolling up their sleeves to
do their part. And new anti-poverty legislation,
passed last month with unanimous support from
all parties, ensures that poverty reduction will
continue to be Ontario’s priority.
A good start. And a long way to go.
The foundation has been laid, but real work
still lies ahead. An effective Poverty Reduction
Strategy must provide long-term solutions to
affordable housing, early learning and child care,
good jobs and social assistance that allows for
dignity and opportunity. And it must include a
willing federal partner who actively assumes
a place at the table.
A brighter future for all of us.
Ontario has turned a corner on poverty.
We have the means and the mandate to make life
better for low-income families throughout the
province. For the one in ten Ontario children
living in poverty today, that means real change,
real support and real hope for a better tomorrow.
June Callwood wouldn’t have settled for less.
Neither will we.
THE JUNE CALWOOD
CAMPAIGN AGAINST
CHILD POVERTY
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Message #16
- Toronto Star,
WE GOT WHAT WE ASKED FOR.
• Ontarians asked for a plan to reduce poverty
by 25% over the next five years.
Our government has delivered it.
We asked for specific targets and timelines.
Our government has committed to them.
We asked for leadership in providing for Ontario’s
most vulnerable citizens.
Our government has demonstrated it.
We asked for a foundation upon which to build
programs for affordable housing, income security,
good jobs, early learning and childcare,
and inclusive education.
Our government has pledged to provide it.
The current economic downturn could have weakened
the government’s resolve. But it did not. The Premier
stood firm, because he and his government understand
that poverty is a drain on Ontario’s resources, costing
the province $10 billion a year. Dealing with it now is
a solid investment in the future.
Now the real work begins.
We all know it’s going to be challenging. There will
have to be complex budgeting and policy decisions,
consultations with communities, creation of new
programs, improvements to existing programs, and
cooperation from the federal government.
We have witnessed a remarkable pledge from the
province. Now citizens, community groups and
government can work together to implement that
pledge, and get the tough work done.
If we each do our part, with a government that holds
true to its commitment, the next five years will see a
dramatic improvement in the lives of Ontario’s poor,
and a better society for all of us.
The foundation is in place. Now let’s finish the job.
THE JUNE CALWOOD
CAMPAIGN AGAINST
CHILD POVERTY
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Message #15
- Toronto Star,
THE PREMIER OF ONTARIO HAS DECLARED JUNE 2
“JUNE CALLWOOD CHILDREN’S DAY”.
SHE MADE A REAL DIFFERENCE IN CHILDREN’S LIVES.
NOW IT’S UP TO US.
Child poverty is June Callwood’s unfinished business. She campaigned tirelessly to ensure
that all children have access to the basic
necessities of life.
Despite her best efforts, one in six Ontario
children still lives in poverty. That’s just not right.
And it’s up to us to do something about it.
Help carry on June’s work.
Premier Dalton McGuinty has committed to
developing a measurable Poverty Reduction Plan,
to be implemented in January, 2009. No one
expects the issue of child poverty to be
resolved overnight. But with clear annual
targets, we can ensure that real progress is
made every year.
We all need to get involved.
Let’s voice our opinions, share our ideas and
help shape the policy that will improve the
lives of children in this province. Let’s urge
our government to set bold targets, so we can
reduce child poverty by 25% over the next
5 years and 50% over the next 10. Let’s make
the kind of progress June was campaigning for.
If we all set our minds to it, by this time
next year we’ll be on our way to fulfilling one
woman’s remarkable legacy. Nothing would have
pleased her more. Happy Birthday, June.
Share your opinion and show your support.
Urge the Government of Ontario to live up to its
promise and take decisive action to reduce
child poverty in Ontario.
Please call 1-866-614-5953, TTY 1-800-387-5559
or visit Ontario.ca/GrowingStronger
THE JUNE CALWOOD
CAMPAIGN AGAINST
CHILD POVERTY
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Message #14
- Toronto Star, October 2, 2007
LOTS OF GOOD THINGS GROW
IN ONTARIO.
SO DOES CHILD POVERTY.
Ontario has been enjoying 10 years of strong economic growth.
But prosperity has yet to reach the 1.3 million Ontarians who live below
the poverty line. In fact, the gap between rich and poor is widening,
and our poor are worse off than ever before.
For 345,000 children, right here in our own backyard, that means hunger, homelessness and little hope for the future.
ONTARIO NEEDS A POVERTY REDUCTION PLAN.
Other provinces are doing better. In Quebec and Newfoundland
and Labrador, anti-poverty legislation has been passed, realistic targets
and timelines are in place, and poverty rates are falling.
Our goal is to reduce child poverty in Ontario by 25% in 5 years.
A 25 in 5 Plan is working in Britain; 25 in 5 will work in Ontario too.
A Poverty Reduction Plan will ensure that hard-working families get affordable housing, accessible childcare and education, and a fair standard of living. They will have the support they need to lead productive lives and contribute to society.
And child poverty will no longer be a growth industry in Ontario.
URGE THE PARTY OF YOUR CHOICE
TO ADOPT THE 25 IN 5 PLAN
CAMPAIGN AGAINST
CHILD POVERTY
Message #13
- Toronto Star, October 16th, 2006
Poverty takes one in six kids
out of the picture.
And we see the consequences
every day.
We’re Ontario’s classroom teachers and front-line school staff. And we know as well as anyone the effects of poverty on our children.
We see them every day. We know that it’s hard
to learn when you’re hungry, when you can’t afford books or
field trips or proper clothes, when you are frequently ill, are often
embarrassed, are often left out of school activities.
And because poverty and underachievement go hand in hand, it’s little wonder that the drop-out rate for poor children is so high.
All our kids should have the right to a bright future. But the futures of the 440,000 children and youth in Ontario living below the poverty line are very much at risk.
That more than 40% of Ontario’s food bank users are children is an outrage. An outrage that makes their life in the classroom difficult and ties our hands.
An outrage that we should do something about.
Help us put all our children back in the picture.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILD POVERTY
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Message #12
- Toronto Star, April 29, 2006
A lot of countries have reduced child poverty by providing families with high quality child care.
How far do our kids have to go to get what they deserve?
We almost had it right – long-term child care agreements between the Government of Canada and all ten provinces. And the vast majority of Canadians were in favour.
But the new government has given notice
that
the funding for this essential national program will end after one year.
The sad truth:
Without that program, nothing will change the
assessment of the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development’s that our “underfunded”
child care system cannot meet the development needs of “many vulnerable
young Canadian children.”
Nor will there be any change in UNICEF’s report that our child-poverty rate of 14.9% ranks us a dismal 19th out of the 26 nations surveyed.
So our children would certainly have better
prospects in other countries.
Countries that know there can be no just society when children are prevented by poverty from participating fully in the life of their communities.
Countries where social investments are seen as a key to national well-being. Countries where all parties agree that a national vision must include a child care program as a key step in ensuring healthy families and children.
The right idea:
If we invested as much in our children as other
countries do in theirs, we’d have 600,000 fewer children living
in poverty. And a national child care program that would offer parents
real choices about how they want to raise their children.
Almost everyone but the federal government is
calling for our child care program to be preserved.
To join those voices, visit www.buildchildcare.ca
CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILD POVERTY
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Message #11
- Toronto Star, January 14, 2006
A PRE-ELECTION "REALITY CHECK"
FROM THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILD POVERTY.
YOU CAN SPEND THE NATIONAL SURPLUS TO BUILD THE
TRULY CIVIL SOCIETY, OR YOU CAN
SPEND IT ON TAX CUTS
THAT BUILD NOTHING.
YOU CAN'T HAVE IT
BOTH WAYS.
For years, governments have told us that they couldn't afford to end the
disgrace of child poverty, or build affordable hou8sing, or shorten surgical
wait lists or fund better schools. That, in short, there were simply no
funds to rebuild the social infrastructure that our parents and grandparents
sacrificed to create. Not enough money to make adequate transfer payments
to the provinces, no dollars to invest in the programs that Canadians
need and deserve.
Not enough, for example, to raise the Canada Child Tax Benefit to the
level needed to help the 1.2 million Canadian children who are living
in poverty.
The money, we were told over and again, just wasn't there.
Well, it's sure there now - national parties are promising massive government spending: billions and billions of dollars to pay for personal, corporate or sales-tax cuts over the next few years.
Money that comes from surpluses of $63 billion since 1998 and projected surpluses through 2011 of an additional $97 billion.
Money that most Canadians have made clear they want spent on their children and their families, on a national child care program, on Aboriginal Canadians and new Canadians, on health and housing and schools, on good jobs, and on clean air and water.
And all the national parties are playing the tax-cut game.
So when candidates come calling, ask them how their parties plan to spend our national wealth - if any of them tells you that major long-term investments in social programs are too expensive, ask why tax cuts are affordable when social spending is not.
And if they answer that the country has to attract business, explain that business comes to Canada because our social infrastructure. And that Canadian corporate profits have never been higher.
And you can also tell them that Canada is already one of the lowest tax jurisdictions in the industrialized world.
And that the future economic health of the country depends on the social investments we make today.
And if any of them says that the country can pay for both lower taxes and social programs, make clear that this approach has left an entire generation behind while dramatically increasing the disparity between rich and poor.
And if candidates tell you that they will target the tax-cuts to the most needy, tell them that the most needy are best served by implementing universally accessible social programs.
Ask the candidates from all the parties to examine their priorities - and demand that there should be no spending on tax-cuts, until after the necessary social investments are made.
And to your friends who tell you that they want a tax-cut, ask them
what portion of the national good they are prepared to sacrifice for the
few extra dollars a tax-cut would provide.
Because the math makes no sense.
Neither, we firmly believe, does the present fiscal immorality.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILD POVERTY
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Message #10
- Toronto Star, April 23, 2005
Maybe it’s time we had a commission investigating child poverty.
If kids were testifying before a Commission of Inquiry, they’d have a lot to say.
They’d say that the real scandal in this country is that 15% of our children - more than 1,000,000 kids – live below the poverty line.
They might remind us that more than 15 years ago Parliament voted unanimously to end child poverty.
They’d assure us that Europe and Scandinavia
have proven conclusively that child poverty rates can be
dramatically reduced with no risk to national economies.
They’d probably ask for a national early childhood education and care plan, affordable housing, a livable minimum wage, and support for the National Child Tax Benefit.
Now that would be testimony worth hearing.
Or maybe we should just forget about such difficult social issues and have another election.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILD POVERTY
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Message #9
- Toronto Star, June 26, 2004
Unlike these kids, there are over one million
Canadian children living in poverty who don’t have much to smile
about.
Use your vote to help change that.
The Campaign Against Child Poverty and other child
advocacy organizations across Canada have been
working to make the 1989 all-party resolution of
Parliament to end child poverty in Canada a reality.
Little can be said to make palatable the fact that
more than a million Canadian kids aren’t getting a fair
shake because they and their families live below the
poverty line. And no excuses seem worth making
when the best research shows that the futures of
those kids will often be blighted because they were too poor to participate
fully in their own lives.
But there is some room for optimism.We’ve never
been closer than we are now to the dream of a
national, progressive, prudent, long-term strategy to end child poverty.
Four of the five parties hoping to form the government of Canada on June
28th have made clear policy statements about child care and early childhood
education, the Canada Child Tax Benefit, affordable housing, targeted
transfers of federal funds, improvements to maternity/parental leave and
employment insurance.
There are planks missing in some of the platforms
of these parties, and some differences over delivery and costing, but
it’s fair to say they agree that our children are a vital national
resource and that their families should be helped to give them the best
start possible.
One party, however, has almost nothing to say
about any of these critical public policy benchmarks.
The Conservatives oppose a national child-care
program, have made no commitments on affordable
housing, and have made clear that the progressive
Canada Child Tax Benefit (which helps about 85% of
Canadian families) is not in their platform.
Their silence is deafening.
When you vote, think of those who can’t.
Think of the kids.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILD POVERTY
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Message #8
- Toronto Star, September 15, 2003
"Prayer Alone
Will Not End Child Poverty"
ONTARIO FAITH LEADERS CALL ON OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES TO DO THEIR PART.
We call on Ontario party leaders to ensure that the next government:
- Matches federal funding in order to create sufficient affordable housing - in Toronto alone there are 40,000 children on the waiting list for affordable housing;
- Ensures all low-income children receive the full funds from the federal National Child Benefit - currently the Province claws back these funds from approximately 246,000 Ontario children on social assistance;
- Invests in high quality, licensed child care services - at present only 9% of Ontario children have access to regulated child care.
- Increases the shelter allowance portion of social assistance to reflect real rents - rents have continued to increase, while social assistance rates have been frozen for 10 years.
- Raises the minimum wage which has been frozen for eight
years - one in every four of all poor Ontario children lives in a family
where at least one parent works full time.
Our children deserve much better. Your actions will affect their future. It’s a matter of conscience.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILD POVERTY
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Message #7
- Toronto Star, November 25, 2002
"You promised...
I’m still waiting."
You promised in 1989 to eliminate "poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000"; In the Speech from the Throne in September, 2002:
- You promised to "significantly increase the National Child Benefit for poor families";
- You promised to "increase access to early learning opportunities and to quality child care..."
- You promised to "extend...investments in affordable housing for those whose needs are greatest."
Meanwhile
1,139,000 Canadian children
still live in poverty.
- Too many of us are not as healthy as we should be;
- Too many of us are homeless and living in hostels;
- Too many of us are struggling in school;
- Too many of us aren’t decently clothed, fed or housed;
- Too many of us don’t have very good job prospects;
- Too many of us don’t have quality child care.
"This time,
please keep your promises."
We ask Canadians to call their Federal Members of Parliament today and urge them to take action on child poverty in the upcoming Federal Budget. Call 1-800-OCANADA to get your MP’s number.
A tax-deductible contribution can be made to the Campaign
Against Child Poverty. Cheques should be made out to "FSAT / Campaign
Against Child Poverty" and mailed to:
C.A.C.P., 355 Church St, Toronto, M5B 1Z8.
The CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILD POVERTY is a national, non-partisan coalition of social justice groups, child advocacy organizations, faith communities, and other concerned citizens.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILD POVERTY
It's a matter of conscience.
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Message #6
-Toronto Star, May 7, 2002.
“...Economic growth and job creation is the most effective way to reduce poverty. Tax cuts put more money in the hands of families. But they do not solve all our social problems. Governments have an important role to play. We need a balanced approach.We must find new and better ways to promote opportunity and to ensure that the basic needs of all are met. Nowhere is this more important than for our children. And nowhere can we have a greater impact for building a strong and inclusive Canada. It is not something the federal government can do alone. It is something all of us have to work on together. We have made considerable progress over the last seven years and we have done so in cooperation and collaboration with the provinces. The National Child Benefit is the most important new social programme since Medicare. The Early Childhood Development Agreement of September 11th is a further important step in the right direction. We must and will do more. Our goal must be that no child be excluded from opportunity because of the debilitating effects of poverty. That every child be given the right start in life.”
Reply to the Speech from the Throne, January 31, 2001
EMPTY PROMISES MAKE FOR EMPTY STOMACHS.
Despite repeated government promises and claims, the number of Canadian children living in poverty has increased by 39% over the past 10 years - in fact, one in five Canadian children now lives in poverty.
At this week’s UN Special Session on Children in New York, our Government will commit itself to invest in children’s needs and end their poverty. . . Canadians have made it clear that they want real action, not promises.
Our children need a properly funded National Plan of Action that will ensure their families have adequate income security, affordable housing, and access to high quality community programs such as early childhood education and care. It’s not hard to make a start. We call on the federal government to double the amount of the National Child Benefit. This alone would reduce Canada’s child poverty rate by 50 percent. Promises have been made - it’s past time they were kept.
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Message
#5
-Globe and Mail, May 24, 2001.
Supported by the convictions of our various faiths, we appeal to our government to respond to the wishes of the vast majority of Canadians and take immediate action to end child poverty. For years, faith communities and other organizations have been working hard to alleviate the effects of poverty, but without a clear and long-term government commitment, no groups in society can, on their own, hope to resolve such an enormous crisis.
The Prime Minister has already voiced his support. He believes that "prosperity in our land is not shared by all," and that "too many children live in poverty."
He's right. In fact, one in five Canadian children lives in poverty. In the midst of unprecedented national prosperity, this threat to the future of so many of our children and their families is unacceptable. We applaud the Government's commitment in the Speech from the Throne that it must "undertake another national project - to ensure that no Canadian child suffers the debilitating effects of poverty." As members of a civil society, we must insist that such a promise is translated into practical programs, including a comprehensive child-benefit, high quality, affordable child-care services and secure, affordable housing.
And if not now, when? It's a matter of conscience.
Message
#4
-Toronto Star, January 19, 2001.
Message
#3
-Toronto Star, February 19, 2000.
SINCE 1989 CHILD POVERTY HAS GROWN
IN 1989, THE HOUSE OF COMMONS RESOLVED TO ELIMINATE CHILD POVERTY IN CANADA BY THE YEAR 2000.
Instead, child poverty in Canada has grown. As we begin the new millennium, one in five children lives in poverty. It's time for us to put an end to child poverty and invest in Canada's children. Not only does our economic well-being depend on them, but it is just the right thing to do. They are our responsibility. They are our future. The Campain Against Child Povety is a non-partisan coalition dedicated to effecting change. We have received support from the business leaders listed below to deliver this message.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILD POVERTY
Message #2
- The Globe and Mail, May 25, 1999.
- Toronto Star, June 3, 1999.
Child poverty is alive and well and living right here in Canada.
For most Canadians, child poverty is something that happens in some other country, thousands of miles from us. But for one in five Canadian kids, that's one million four hundred thousand Canadian children, the reality of child poverty hits far closer to home. Unfortunately, their voices are rarely heard. The Campaign Against Child Poverty, a non-partisan coalition united and dedicated to effecting change, has asked for our help to arouse the conscience of the nation. For more information, visit the CACP website at www.childpoverty.com. Let's work together with these Companions of The Order of Canada to make the elimination of child poverty a national priority.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILD POVERTY
Message
#1
- Toronto Star, April 17, 1998.
ONTARIO'S SIX-BILLION DOLLAR TAX REDUCTION
HURTS HIS FAMILY, HURTS HIS CHANCES, HURTS HIS FUTURE.
IT HURTS OUR FUTURE, TOO.
If he's one of over 500,000 children in Ontario
whose families are below the poverty line, he may be poorly fed, have
more childhood illness, do less well in school, have more trouble finding
a good job, exhibit more anti-social behaviour.
Love is not enough. No matter how hard it tries, his family may not be
able to provide the kind of environment in which he can thrive.
Reduced services to families and kids is the real cost of a six-billion
dollar reduction in government expenditure.
He may not be as productive, happy or healthy as he could be.
And neither will we. We'll live in a meaner, less civil society. And down
the road we'll have to pay the bill anyhow.
We'll all spend more in remedial costs for those to whom services are
now being denied. Today's tax reduction is a mortgage on tomorrow.
Ontario's families and Ontario's children deserve better. We all do.
WE HAVE A PLAN.
Not a solution, but a way of helping: take all
or some of your tax reduction and direct it to one of the coalition of
charities named below which have set up special funds to help fight child
poverty and child hunger and promote the healthy development of children.
By doing so you also send a message about the kind of society you want
your children to live in.
CALL NOW. 416-595-9230 EXT.228
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO
EXPRESS YOUR SUPPORT.
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