An Essay About Poverty In Canada

There has been poverty in Canada for about as long as there has been Canada. Researchers argue about the causes of poverty and how to solve them. But the fact remains that there is poverty in Canada and certain groups in Canadian society are struggling with poverty more than others. This paper is an overall look at poverty in Canada, who is struggling, why and what can be done to alleviate that poverty.

What is poverty?

The definition of poverty is much debated. Absolute and relative are two widely accepted categories of poverty, each with its own definition. According to A Dictionary of Sociology (2009), “Poverty defined in absolute terms refers to a state in which the individual lacks the resources necessary for subsistence.” If we only defined poverty this way, the poverty rate in Canada would be very low. Sociologists usually use the term absolute poverty when

For example, all of the measures used in Canada are usually measured at the end of the year. During the year any number of changes might have been made to that family. There may have been an emergency that drained the family’s resources, which of course would not be shown as the measured used are only based on income. There may also be, for example, a single mother of three children who although officially lives off a low income, has the support of her friends and family and feels poverty less than someone without any social support. There is also the assumption that people living above low income lines do not live in poverty. They may receive enough income but may have to pay out more of it because they do not qualify for things like low income housing or other services geared to low income families. Measures of poverty are very useful for governments to decide where to put the country’s resources but they should not be seen as an absolute measure of poverty. Rather they should be seen as measuring poverty is a relative