by Manena D.

In 1989, an all-party House of Commons resolution to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000 was passed. I joined Campaign 2000 in 1991. Campaign 2000 emerged out of concern about the lack of government progress in addressing child poverty.  Fast track to 2011 and the statistics point to an increased number of families living way below the poverty line and a greater percentage of children suffering the impact of poverty.
Canada has received steady “C”s since the 1980s for its child poverty rate. A clear link has been made between joblessness and poverty.  Non-employed families are the most economically disadvantaged, which means job creations strategies are an integral part of tackling poverty.

In the 2011 report card on child and family poverty in Canada, Campaign 2000 states, “The economy has more than doubled in size, yet the incomes of families in the lowest deciles have virtually stagnated. The gap between rich and poor families has continued to widen, leaving average-income families also struggling to keep up. With considerable evidence from academic, community-based and government research and from extensive testimony from people with lived experience of poverty, we probably know more about how to eradicate poverty in Canada than we did twenty years ago. Yet, structural barriers hinder significant progress on eradicating poverty.”

Alizeh Hussain, Ontario Campaign 2000 Coordinator notes, “Far too many children live in poverty and with the forthcoming cuts in the public sector many more may end up being worse off. Unless positive changes are made to current public programs – changes that look to help people rather than cut costs, the rate of child poverty will rise, making life worse for those who are most vulnerable.”

Why is this so important?

Child care is a critical support component for working parents. Recently the community in Toronto organized under the banner of Toronto Stop the Cuts to challenge the austerity agenda proposed by a small group of councillors lead by millionaire Mayor Ford.
While the media has reported that Ford backed off on sweeping cuts to Child Care, this is not the case.

At the Executive Committee on September 19th, Ford and his allies formally asked the City Manager to consider the following:

Whether quality assessments of child care are required;
Review option for reducing child care funding and subsidies;
Consider transferring the city-operated child care centres to community or private operators;
Consider reducing the maximum subsidized per diem rates the City will support for subsidized spaces.

So in essence, the major cuts to child care have simply been deferred.

At the City Council meeting on September 26/27, 2011, City Council did not reject cuts to child care (as they did with some other services), so this remains on the table. Instead, City Council voted to call on the provincial and federal governments to work with the City to develop “a strategy to expand the number of child care spaces in Toronto over the next two years.”

Without additional funding, there is no commitment to save (much less expand) child care spaces.

While a collapse of the child care sector would be bad for children and families, it would be disastrous for our economy. As laid out in Early Years Study 3 and based on the work of economist Robert Fairholm, child care is a tax generator, the biggest job creator, and a strong economic stimulant.

The Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare in its response to the Drummond report states: “We are aware of the tough fiscal environment the province is facing. That reality is one of the best arguments in favour of investing in child care now. We need child care to enable Ontario parents to work, lift families out of poverty, and increase tax revenues to the government. In addition, the long-term benefits to our economy and local communities are unquestionable.”

The fight on the austerity agendas proposed by the neo-liberal provincial and municipal governments has just started. Neo-liberalism is the new capitalism.  Families are under attack.  The banking crisis that began in 2007 and that became the global financial crisis of 2008 was the consequence of the process of the creation of massive fictitious financial wealth.  Millionaire Ford tried to lie to Toronto’s residents by telling us the sky was falling.
It is time to fight back and to say NO to the austerity agenda. Families are being called to sacrifice hard earned social gains to support an unsustainable capitalist economy. While corporations continue to receive tax breaks and banks are being bailed out, the poor are asked to give up the little dignity they have.

Join the fight against the austerity agenda to stop widening the gap between the rich and the poor.

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