Dear CANCHID colleagues,

Please see invitation below from the National Council of Welfare to participate 
in a survey they are conducting.

National Council of Welfare Survey
https://media6.magma.ca/www.leverus.com/ncw/main.cfm

The National Council of Welfare (NCW) is an independent advisory body to the
federal government. Over the last quarter century of reporting on poverty
among Canadians to the government and the public, the Council has seen
dramatic improvement in the situation of seniors. No matter how you measure
poverty, however, the situation for working age adults and children is
really no better than it was in 1980. For many living in deepest poverty the
situation is worse. The NCW believes it is time for a national anti-poverty
strategy. We have taken the initiative to create this questionnaire to find
out what Canadians think.

Poverty is recognized as one of the world's major problems. As a result of
United Nations agreements, most developing countries have adopted
anti-poverty strategies, with wealthier countries like Canada assisting
their efforts.

Several industrialized countries have also adopted anti-poverty strategies.
In many of these cases, an aging population has governments worried. Poverty
among adults is very costly to society when men and women are not able to
contribute as productively as possible. Poverty among children puts their
future well-being, as well as ours, at risk. When poverty leads to health
problems or lack of education and skills, everyone pays the price. A large
gap in income and opportunity between rich and poor can also lead to social
unrest, crime and other societal ills that affect us all.

In Canada, the risk of poverty is higher than in many countries with similar
economic resources. Yet Canada is doing less to address this problem. Two
provinces, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, however, are leading the
way with their own anti-poverty strategies.

Canada has a great deal to be proud of, but where poverty is concerned the
Council believes our social security system is letting too many people - and
our country - fall behind. We believe we can do better.

On behalf of the Council, I thank you for taking the time to let us know
about your experience and what you think. We recognize that an on-line
consultation has its limitations; however, we hope it will allow a wide
range of people to have a say. Because we think these issues are very
important, we encourage you to talk about the questions with others. Some of
you might want to get together in small groups, informal meetings, or
kitchen table discussions before you submit your responses. The results of
our survey will be made public on this website early in 2007 and will help
the Council develop its recommendations to the Minister of Human Resources
and Social Development.

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