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Canadian
Centre for Policy Alternatives
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2002
Larger
investment in Canada's poorest needed: report
(OTTAWA)
Social policy in Canada needs a facelift to better address the needs
of the poorest Canadians, according to a new report from the Canadian
Centre for Policy Alternatives, titled Snakes and Ladders: A Policy
Brief on Poverty Dynamics.
The report's
findings are based on a survey of studies looking at the mobility
of people in and out of poverty. These studies provide more insight
by tracking the same people over time, rather than taking a cross-section
of the population each year.
The survey finds
that over longer periods of time many more people will be exposed
to poverty than traditional poverty rates suggest.
"About
one-quarter of Canadians were poor over a six-year period from 1993
to 1998," says author Marc Lee. "This illustrates the
adage of 'there but for the grace of God go I.'"
This highlights
the need for strong safety nets to protect people from an economic
downturn or plain bad luck, according to the report. Yet, programs
like Employment Insurance and Social Assistance have been eroded
in the recent era of cutbacks, putting people who fall on hard times
in greater jeopardy.
While many people
are able to escape from poverty within a few years, there are others
who find it difficult to escape, or who escape one year but are
poor again the next. In these cases, there is a stronger role for
government to invest in people so they can get a decent foothold
on the economic ladder.
"Investing
in the poorest Canadians through education and training, child care
and social housing may cost more in the short-run," says Lee.
"But there are immense long-run benefits for society, and the
Treasury, to reducing the population of 'chronic poor.'"
Lee urged the
government to make these types of investments a priority in the
next federal budget.
-30-
This report is available from the CCPA web site: http://www.policyalternatives.ca
For more information:
Marc Lee 604-801-6920
Kerri-Anne Finn 613-563-1341 x306
--
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Suite 410-75 Albert Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 5E7
tel: 613-563-1341 fax: 613-233-1458
http://www.policyalternatives.ca
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