Impressive indeed. Of course they will. (cough)

On Nov 9, 2007 1:23 PM, Dennis Raphael <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> "Today I commit a new Liberal government to two important targets and two
> very important numbers:
>
> Over 5 years a new Liberal government will
>
> 1. reduce the number of Canadians living below the poverty line by at least
> 30 per cent; and
> 2. reduce the number of children living in poverty by at least 50 per cent."
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> http://www.liberal.ca/story_13294_e.aspx
>
>
> Towards a Fairer Canada Without Poverty
>
> Stephane Dion [opposition leader, Canada]
>
> November 9, 2007
>
> Speech to the Learning Enrichment Foundation
>
> Toronto, Ontario
>
>
> I would like to thank the Learning Enrichment Foundation for inviting me to
> speak about the Liberal Plan to build a more inclusive Canada.
>
> For almost 30 years the Learning Enrichment Foundation has shown day after
> day and year after year what Canadians working together can do to bring hope
> to the lives of others.
>
> Your activities and history are a real example in helping. Your former
> executive director, the late Eunice Grayson, believed in the potential of
> people and acted on it in tremendously practical and effective ways.
>
> And we Liberals will work every day to help organizations like yours
> continue to lead. We will learn from you and be inspired by you as we build
> the better Canada I want to talk about today.
>
> A Liberal government will make Canada a richer, greener, fairer country.
> We need a greener Canada. You in the GTA know that all too well. Toronto has
> the highest number of smog days in Canada.
>
> Studies show that every year in Toronto, pollution contributes to about 440
> premature deaths and puts 1,700 more people in our hospitals. And it is our
> most vulnerable who always are most at risk. Our elderly, our children and
> those in poverty.
>
> Whenever the next election comes, we Liberals will have a platform that
> ensures Canadians have cleaner air, cleaner water, a credible plan to meet
> the climate change crisis and a healthier natural environment.
>
> We need a richer Canada.
> Our economy is facing strong competition from emerging economies, higher
> energy prices and a dollar that is above parity with the US dollar.
>
> Now that we have lost our currency advantage, we need to create a new
> Canadian advantage. Competitive taxes must be part of developing this
> Canadian advantage. But in themselves, they are not enough, no matter what
> the Conservative government may think.
>
> We need support for manufacturing, forestry, agriculture and fisheries.
>
> We need support for students and expanding opportunities through education.
>
> We need to support innovation and research.
>
> What about infrastructure?
>
> What about integrating new Canadians who are central to our economic future?
>
> The mini-budget announced by the government last week did nothing in these
> areas.
>
> In the next federal election, we will present to Canadians our Liberal
> platform for a richer Canada that will provide greater benefit to ALL
> Canadians. It will be a compelling plan that will lower the overall tax
> burden of Canadians, make further progress on federal debt repayment, and
> will invest in the priorities of Canadians for a richer Canada, a greener
> Canada, and a fairer Canada. The fight against poverty that we are proposing
> today will be a key part of this platform. It will be fully costed and
> affordable, and will be accompanied by tax cuts that make our economy more
> competitive, and our society more fair. I am convinced that Canadians will
> judge our platform to be better than the Conservative one.
>
> We need a fairer Canada. That means a richer Canada where all Canadians can
> prosper. We must rise to the challenge of helping those less fortunate
> amongst us to fully share in the riches of our land.
>
> Poverty today is a reality that mocks and undermines the prosperity known by
> most of our people in Canada.
>
> The lack of real social inclusion, the loss of dignity from not being able
> to participate in society, is a moral challenge we cannot ignore.
>
> The Conservative Party ideology leaves no room for the vulnerable – for
> low-income families, or newcomers to Canada, or Aboriginal peoples, or the
> disabled. The Conservative thinking is: if you aren't going to vote
> Conservative anyway, why should I worry about you.
>
> Liberals believe that when we give people a chance – not just the ones who
> might vote for us, but every Canadian – Canada succeeds, socially and
> economically to become a stronger society and a better place to live.
>
> WHAT DO WE MEAN BY POVERTY AND EXPANDING INCLUSION?
>
> Unlike many OECD countries – including the US -- Canada does not have an
> official "poverty line." Any business leader will tell you that what gets
> measured gets managed.
>
> Most experts use Statistics Canada's low-income cut-offs (LICO) to measure
> poverty. For the purposes of today I will use the after-tax LICO. I use this
> because it includes both personal earnings and government support and will
> allow us to more accurately measure the successes of a future Liberal
> government in fighting poverty.
>
> Certainly, reasonable people can disagree about which measure to use but
> everyone can agree that debating measures is not an acceptable substitute
> for action.
>
> So, with that said, what is the size of the problem we are facing?
>
> • Today, in Canada, 242,000 seniors live in poverty. The men and women who
> built this country deserve better.
> • Today, in Canada, more than 788,000 of our children live in poverty. We
> cannot waste a generation. All our children deserve to share in the bounty
> of our nation.
> • Today, in Canada, most poor people actually work. A job should be a path
> out of poverty.
> Now what is the trend?
>
> Is poverty increasing? Is it decreasing?
>
> The good news is that, during the last decade, poverty has decreased,
> thanks, in part to a strong economy, the policies of our governments and the
> hard work of organizations like yours. And in particular, if I may say so,
> the federal Liberal government. It was our government that brought in the
> National Child Benefit, the single most important contributor to the decline
> in child poverty in recent years.
>
> The percentage of Canadians living in poverty declined from 16 per cent in
> 1996 to 11 per cent in 2005.
>
> In real numbers this means that 1 million fewer Canadians were poor in 2005
> than in 1996.
>
> But today the number is 3.4 million and 3.4 million Canadians living in
> poverty is just not right!
>
> A 2005 UNICEF study on child poverty in rich countries ranked Canada only
> 19th out of 26. We may argue about the precision of the comparative
> indicators used, but still, 19th place is simply not good enough for the
> country that we like to claim is the best in the world.
>
> Yes, the poverty rate for single-mothers dropped from a shocking 56 per cent
> in 1996 to 33 per cent in 2005.
>
> But one out of three is still unacceptable and it is four times the rate for
> families overall.
>
> That's over 300,000 of our children.
>
> As a Canadian I am embarrassed by this.
>
> As a Liberal I can not accept it.
>
> As Prime Minister I will correct it.
>
> We know too that behind these numbers, behind these statistics, lies an
> immense human tragedy. We know that children in poverty suffer from hunger,
> poor housing, limited social resources, parents under stress, chronic health
> difficulties, and lower educational outcomes. For children poverty is about
> pretending you forgot your lunch, being afraid to tell your mother that you
> need gym shoes. It means being sick for every class trip and saying "sorry,
> I can't come" to invitations to friends' birthday parties.
>
> Standing apart and being left out is the daily reality for too many children
> in this city, this province, this country.
>
> Similarly, it is very difficult for the working poor to make ends meet.
> Labour markets have changed: the old idea of full-time work with one
> employer all year round is true for fewer and fewer workers.
>
> Temporary jobs have grown from 11 per cent of all jobs in 1989 to 21 per
> cent in 2004. These jobs often pay less and always provide less benefits, a
> huge problem for the working poor.
>
> So yes we have done much, but we still have much more to do. Progress has
> ended under the current Government which has different priorities.
>
> The Conservatives have added a non-refundable child tax credit that means
> absolutely nothing to a single mother working full-time for minimum wage.
>
> They took our idea for a Working Income Tax Benefit and made it less than it
> can and should be.
>
> Poverty is deepest among our aboriginal peoples. Yet, the Conservatives
> abandoned the Kelowna Accord through which Canada's governments had
> committed to address the challenges faced by First Nations.
>
> The Conservatives have ignored our seniors who are poor.
>
> The Harper government is heading in the wrong direction. It is leaving
> behind over 3.4 million Canadians.
>
> The Conservatives may ignore it, but many Canadians are actively looking at
> this challenge. The TD Bank. The Toronto's City Summit Alliance. Campaign
> 2000. Advocacy organizations. Leading newspapers. And yesterday, the
> Canadian Association of Food Banks. The current government may be deaf but
> there is a loud chorus of ideas and hope if only we choose to listen.
>
> A Liberal government will listen and we will act. We will build upon the
> work that has gone before, and what other jurisdictions such as Ontario have
> already committed to doing. We will be the best federal partner this
> province and others have seen so that we can make progress together on this
> agenda.
>
> WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
>
> So what needs to be done?
>
> Today I commit a new Liberal government to two important targets and two
> very important numbers:
>
> Over 5 years a new Liberal government will
>
> 1. reduce the number of Canadians living below the poverty line by at least
> 30 per cent; and
> 2. reduce the number of children living in poverty by at least 50 per cent.
>
> Call it our 30-50 Plan to reduce poverty.
>
> This is a bold goal, and we intend it to represent the strongest government
> action in a generation.
>
> In setting clear targets, I know that organizations like yours will hold our
> feet to the fire. Good! Because we are going to create a fairer Canada.
>
> I am sure that many of you are familiar with the great strides that have
> been made by the United Kingdom in reducing child poverty. Their success all
> began with a single speech by Tony Blair in 1999.
>
> Specific targets allow the electorate to know when something has been a
> success.
>
> They also give a very clear idea of when their politicians have failed them.
>
> They also signal to the public that a real priority has been set that they
> can support.
>
> The results speak for themselves. It is expected that by next year's budget,
> there will be 700,000 fewer children living in poverty in the UK than when
> Mr. Blair delivered his promise. Not as many as first planned.
>
> But had Tony Blair not dared to aim high, there would be far more children
> in poverty in the UK than there are today.
>
> Today we aim high. We commit to an effort never before seen in Canada.
> In five or six years I want all of you to be able to say that you were there
> when Canada's next Prime Minister set out his 30-50 poverty reduction plan.
>
> And yes, five years from now, I want you to say and I am confident that you
> will say – the Liberals' 30-50 Plan has been reached. I want you to do more
> than sit back and wait. I want you to join with me to make this essential
> goal for Canada happen.
>
> So how will we accomplish these ambitious goals?
>
> Our main tool at the federal government level is providing income support.
> And we will significantly increase it for at least three groups of
> Canadians, those seeking to escape welfare, children and seniors.
>
> First, those Canadians trying to escape welfare face a giant welfare wall.
> Lowering this wall and helping people into the workforce is central to
> success. Many people who leave welfare for jobs paying under $10 an hour are
> actually worse off because of the benefits they lose and the taxes they
> start paying.
> We have to lower this welfare wall, to encourage and reward work and give
> Canadians a springboard to success, dignity and independence.
>
> This is the right thing to do, the smart thing to do and the fair thing to
> do. Over the next 20 years we face a shortage of labour. Getting more
> Canadians into the work force will help address this.
>
> We will increase the Working Income Tax Benefit above the level proposed by
> the Conservative government to create a real Making Work Pay Benefit.
>
> We will help encourage work by having this benefit available on the first
> dollar earned, which is $3,000 sooner than the Harper plan.
>
> And we will ensure that it benefits more families by phasing it out more
> slowly.
>
> Second, we will significantly increase federal income support for families
> and their children who need to have healthy food, decent housing and
> participate fully in Canadian society.
>
> 788,000 Canadian children live in very low income. We will bring forward
> measures that:
>
> • will support working families by making the non-refundable Child Credit
> into a refundable credit, so that even if they pay no tax they will get a
> benefit; and
> • expand and improve the Canada Child Tax Benefit.
>
> This is the right thing to do, the smart thing to do and the fair thing to
> do. Every child raised out of poverty is a child who eats better and arrives
> at school more ready to learn. A child more likely to pursue his or her
> education and to become the proud Canadian of tomorrow.
>
> It is a child who can participate in activities, a child who is less likely
> to have trouble with the law, and a child who knows hope.
>
> Third: we must be fairer to our seniors, who have invested so much of
> themselves in building our country. We will start by increasing the
> Guaranteed Income Supplement payments for the lowest income seniors and we
> will ensure that the loss of a partner does not drive the surviving spouse
> below the low income threshold.
>
> In addition, seniors who can still offer so much to our workforce will be
> encouraged and rewarded for working if they choose to do so.
>
> Significant increases in income support are necessary, but in and of
> themselves they are not enough. It is not enough for those Canadians with
> disabilities, for example, who need better services in order that we might
> improve their living conditions and help them contribute more to their
> families and to Canada. Jobs assistance from organizations like yours are
> needed to bridge many people to the best contribution they can make in
> society.
>
> We will work together, respecting each of our jurisdictions, with all orders
> of government at the provincial and municipal level, to provide better
> access to services that are essential in the fight against poverty such as
> affordable housing, universal child care, public transit and labour market
> training.
>
> Housing and universal child care are critical foundations of opportunity for
> low-income Canadians. Our plan will address the issues of homelessness,
> affordable housing and universal child care of the quality that you deliver,
> at LEF, in your various centres. Unlike the Conservatives, who promised to
> create 125,000 new child care spaces, but have not delivered even one.
>
> Let us also talk about Aboriginal Canadians. The poverty problem on reserves
> is well known and unacceptable. But as well, in Winnipeg, Victoria,
> Montreal, Regina, Saskatoon and Vancouver over 50 per cent of urban
> Aboriginals are living in poverty.
>
> In Toronto, it is between 30 per cent and 40 per cent. But these are just
> statistics… think of the real people involved.
>
> For Aboriginal families we will honour the promises made in the Kelowna
> Accord and its plan for a better future. Support for Aboriginal Canadians is
> the right thing to do. It's also the smart thing to do. And it is the fair
> thing to do.
>
> If we support the development of Aboriginal Canadians, then they, as the
> only major demographic that is not facing an aging population, will make a
> growing contribution to the Canadian economy.
>
> Abandon our First Peoples, and Canada will light the fuse on a ticking
> demographic time bomb.
>
> The cost of doing nothing, which is the Harper plan, is far, far greater
> than the cost of investing in Aboriginal Canadians.
>
> CONCLUSION: FREEDOM AND OPPORTUNITY
>
> I am proud to lead the Liberal Party of Canada. A Party that built the
> national social safety net we today take for granted.
>
> Liberals created public pensions for our seniors.
>
> Liberals created our national health care system.
>
> Liberals created employment insurance for our unemployed.
>
> Liberals created child benefit programs for our families.
>
> Liberals were the first to talk about making work pay and using the tax
> system to help Canadians get over the welfare wall.
>
> Today, and in the days to come, I will be calling on Canadians to support
> the Liberal Party's 30-50 Plan, to join in common cause with us as we embark
> on a war on poverty never seen before in Canada's history.
>
> We will win this war not by keeping people dependent but by helping them
> become self-sufficient.
>
> We will champion the dignity of work. We will champion families.
>
> We will work with the provinces, we will work with communities, we will work
> with the Learning Enrichment Foundation and other similar organizations.
>
> We will be the best partner that you ever had.
>
> We will work with all Canadians and because of that we will succeed. And we
> will have a richer Canada, a Greener Canada, and a fairer Canada for
> ourselves, our children and generations to come.
>
>
> Print this Story Send to Friends Take Action
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Of related interest:
>
> Poverty and Policy in Canada: Implications for Health and Quality of Life by
> Dennis Raphael
> Foreword by Jack Layton
> http://tinyurl.com/2hg2df
>
> Staying Alive: Critical Perspectives on Health, Illness, and Health Care,
> edited by Dennis Raphael, Toba Bryant, and Marcia Rioux
> Foreword by Gary Teeple
> http://tinyurl.com/2zqrox
>
> Social Determinants of Health: Canadian Perspectives, edited by Dennis
> Raphael
> Foreword by Roy Romanow
> http://tinyurl.com/yptzae
>
> See a lecture!  The Politics of Population Health
> http://msl.stream.yorku.ca/mediasite/viewer/?peid=ac604170-9ccc-4268-a1af-9a9e04b28e1d
>
> Also, presentation on Politics and Health at the Centre for Health
> Disparities in Cleveland Ohio
> http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4129139685624192201&hl=en
>
> Dennis Raphael, PhD
> Professor and Undergraduate Program Director
> School of Health Policy and Management
> York University
> 4700 Keele Street
> Toronto ON M3J 1P3
> 416-736-2100, ext. 22134
> email: [log in to unmask]
> http://www.atkinson.yorku.ca/draphael
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>



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