The old adage that “the rich get rich and the poor get poorer” has never been so true, especially these days in Canadian society.
According to a new study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), poverty and inequality rates in Canada are now higher than most developed nations. The report found that, over the past 10 years, only Germany has seen a similar rate of increase.
The harsh reality is that wages for the rich continue to rise, while middle- and low-income workers are experiencing a drop in their salaries. Most affected are young adults and families with children.
So what, you may ask, is the Canadian government doing to alleviate the problem? Well, apparently the Conservatives aren’t aware that there is a problem. Stephen Harper and the Conservatives were the only federal party that had no plans to cut poverty in their election platform. In fact, Canada may soon be one of the only developed countries in the world without a detailed plan to address the problem.
In an article in the Toronto Star newspaper, Lesley Harmer, a spokesperson for retiring federal Human Resources Minister Monte Solberg, is quoted as saying that government is “taking real action to support Canadians who need help.”
However, the OECD report suggests that Canada is spending less on programs such as unemployment insurance and family benefits than other developed countries, which may be part of the reason that families and individuals are suffering.
Now with the slowdown in the economy and international turmoil on the financial markets, the situation for working families is looking bleaker than ever. Manufacturing jobs are disappearing, the forest industry is in crisis and other traditional sources of good income jobs are drying up as well. Factor in minimum wages that fail to keep families afloat and high prices for everything from fuel to food to prescription drugs, and it’s little wonder that food banks and homeless shelters are unable to keep up with the demand for their services.
During this fall’s election campaign, an organization called Campaign 2000 called on all federal parties to set minimum targets of a 25% reduction in child poverty over the next 5 years and a 50% reduction over 10 years. The organization compared the election platforms of each federal party against a checklist of goals for poverty reduction that included affordable housing, early childhood education and care, post-secondary education, and sustainable employment and livable wages. The New Democrats met 12 of the 13 commitments measured by Campaign 2000. The Conservatives met only one.
Clearly there is still much work to do be done. Setting targets for poverty reduction must be part of the government’s agenda if any progress is to be made towards addressing the needs of working people in Canada.
Alex Atamanenko, MP
BC Southern Interior
Tags: income gap, inequality, jobs