How To Reduce Poverty In Canada

1267 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Impact of globalization on social

In Canada, the uneven distribution of wealth and the reduction of social benefits have led to a marked increase in poverty. Canada is far better off than the United States in terms of looking after the poor but we are far away from reducing poverty. In the last decade we have seen the rich get so much richer and the poor so much poorer. We in the west live in a society that caters to the rich. The rich people literally control everything while the social benefits to the poor working class is diminishing. Yet we pay taxes that prop these people or companies who have many tax havens or benefits that we do not have.
Poverty is directly linked to income inequality and it is getting worse. All emphasis is placed on the bottom line on companies …show more content…

Poverty is one of the biggest burdens on the economic, healthcare and the criminal justice systems in Canada. In 2011, the federal government spent 20 billion on Employment Insurance benefits alone. A recent report from Ontario states that poverty cost the province in collaboration with the federal government between 10 and 13 billion yearly.
"The cost of poverty – in health care, criminal justice, social services, lost productivity, lost opportunity – is a cost we cannot afford any longer.” Tony Martin, former MP.

The World Organization has declared poverty to be the single largest determinant of health. Poverty can and does lead to illness and diseases. This is as a result of poor nutrition, inadequate housing/shelter, greater environmental risks and less access to proper health care. But the reverse is also true; illness can lead to poverty by reducing, savings, reduced productivity, and quality of life for families as well as …show more content…

Social assistance spending at the provincial level was valued at $720 million per year, where poverty was common. During that time the federal government spent $11.2 billion on the Canada Social Transfer. In 2011, $4 billion was transferred to low income families by Ottawa. In addition Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation used $3 billion tax dollars on affordable housing.
We also see a vast spending on the criminal justice system, as crime has a direct link to poverty, with high rates of incarceration. This costs the government and taxpayers a significant amount of money per year; i.e. Saskatchewan spends between $80 and $120 million on the criminal justice system.
Clearly something needs to be done to address the poverty and inequality that have a huge impact on individuals and the Canadian society. It is the root causes on many health and social problems, as well as exacting a huge economic toll. There needs to be a creation of lasting and meaningful plans using a human rights framework. This would be costly, but nearly as expensive as doing

Show More
Related

  • Case Studies: Poverty: Case Study In Canada

    1791 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Canada there is no official, government mandated poverty line. It is generally agreed that poverty refers to the intersection of low-income and other dimensions of ‘social exclusion’, including things such as access to adequate housing, essential goods and services, health and well-being and community participation. In Canada, the gap between the rich and poor is on the rise, with four million people struggling to find decent affordable housing, (CHRA) and almost 21% of children in BC are living in poverty it is crucial to address poverty (Stats Can). In class we have considered a number of sociological lens to examine poverty. Structural-functionalists maintain that stratification and inequality are inevitable and

    Read More

  • How The Aboriginal Assimilation

    1366 Words  | 3 Pages

    Why am I Poor? First Nations Child Poverty in Ontario. Canada: Best Start Resource Center,

    Read More

  • Billionaires On The Bus By Julie Delahanty

    1285 Words  | 3 Pages

    Unfortunately, the article’s eye-catching title is a reality in Canada. The wealth gap between the rich and poor is continually increasing. The number of billionaires in the world is so small that they can fit in a single school bus. Sixty-two people now own as much wealth as half the world’s population. The article explained the sad reality of inequality in the United States. It sheds light that the wealth of the poorest half of the world’s population has fallen by a trillion US dollars in just five years, while the wealth of the richest 62 people on the planet just kept growing. The article emphasizes that to truly tackle inequality and address extreme poverty several actions must be taken. These must include working with global leaders to end the era of tax havens, supporting women’s rights organizations and helping developing countries provide universal

    Read More

  • Aboriginal Poverty In Canada

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    With the increase in funding, Canadian poverty within Aboriginal society would greatly decrease. The Government should be “proactive in giving aboriginal people in remote communities the support they need to move to areas where they can find jobs and education” (End First). That way, adults would be able to increase their income in order to have a much more fulfilling lifestyle. It is not only adults who need the financial aid, but also the community and children. In order to help, the Canadian Government should make sure more money is being made available for the First Nation education, social interactions such as community centres, and way of living including: housing, roads and availability of healthy food items. “...The poverty rate of status First Nations children living on reserves was triple that of non-indigenous children” (Hildebrandt). Aboriginal children across Canada need the help of Canadian Government in order to lose this poverty and be able to move ahead. “Persistent disadvantages faced by Canada’s aboriginal peoples in regard to education, employment, health and housing are well-documented/the staggering poverty faced by indigenous children is preventable” (Hildebrandt). With enough Government funding, Native children would be able to get better education, social skills and understanding of their traditions and culture. Schools, community centres

    Read More

  • child poverty in canada

    743 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poverty causes children to be involved in illegal things such as drugs and crime and the people that are involved in these risky behaviours are children. If parents don’t have enough money to support their child, they will be forced to steal- this is linked back to education- if you are unable to earn a decent wage because of lack of education you will be forced to commit a crime. The recent video file by Bergsma touches on this issue with in depth. Bergsma has attempted to show and explain the unawareness of child poverty through a story. The story was about a guy who named Bobby and lives in poverty. Generally, the entire story was criticized from his perspective that how he experienced living in poverty and abandoned his life. In the video, Bergsma (2014) articulates that Bobby has faced hard time in his school life because he doesn’t eat proper and lead to inadequate of nutritious requirements. These all makes his school life worse resembling lack of concentrations and being bullied at school.

    Read More

  • Women and Poverty in Canada

    2495 Words  | 5 Pages

    Poverty is a significant threat to women’s equality. In Canada, more women live in poverty than men, and women’s experience of poverty can be harsher, and more prolonged. Women are often left to bear more burden of poverty, leading to ‘Feminization of poverty’. Through government policy women inequality has resulted in more women and children being left in poverty with no means of escaping. This paper will identify some key aspects of poverty for Canadian women. First, by identifying what poverty entails for Canadian women, and who is more likely to feel the brunt of it. Secondly the discussion of why women become more susceptible to poverty through government policy and programs. Followed by the effects that poverty on women plays in society. Lastly, how we can reduce these effects through social development and policy.

    Read More

  • Causes Of Poverty And Homelessness In Canada

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    This paper will examine and analyze the underlying causes of poverty and homelessness, the difficulties that the new immigrants experience in Canada, and what can we do in order to prevent and overcome those problems. According to the dictionary, poverty can be defined as the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. It has been an important issue for hundredths of years because it can leave people homeless and hungry. Both, Canadians and the new immigrants to Canada are experiencing many financial difficulties, and there are people who are struggling to live, to find a shelter and to provide the most basic needs to themselves and their families.

    Read More

  • The Need to Address Poverty in Canada

    1003 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poverty is a serious issue in Canada needs to be addressed promptly. Poverty is not simply about the lack of money an individual has; it is much more than that. The World Bank Organization defines poverty by stating that, “Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time”. In Canada, 14.9 percent of Canada’s population has low income as Statistics Canada reports, which is roughly about two million of Canadians in poverty or on the verge of poverty. In addition, according to an UNICEF survey, 13.3 percent of Canadian children live in poverty. If the government had started to provide efficient support to help decrease the rates of poverty, this would not have been such a significant issue in Canada. Even though the issue of poverty has always been affecting countries regardless of the efforts being made to fight against it, the government of Canada still needs to take charge and try to bring the percentage of poverty down to ensure that Canada is a suitable place to live. Therefore, due to the lack of support and social assistance from the government, poverty has drastically increased in Canada.

    Read More

  • The Homeless in Canada

    2623 Words  | 6 Pages

    Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Alternative Federal Budget 2011, Report: Rethink, Rebuild, Renew (pg. 69, 70, 72, 75) Retrieved from: http://www.policyalternatives.ca/AFB2011

    Read More

  • Essay On Poverty In Canada

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    isn't.45 percent of poverty in canada only lasts a year and a lot of canadians ranging from the

    Read More

  • Social Imagination And Sociological Imagination

    828 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poverty among Aboriginals entails poor living conditions on reserves, health and well-being struggles, and financially unstable families; relatively speaking to the majority of Aboriginals who are living in impoverished communities, these hardships usually commence in some way, shape, or form. The Canadian Feed the Children Charity (2017) notes that “Indigenous children in Canada are over two and a half times more likely to live in poverty than non-Indigenous children.” This number is quite high and is extremely unfortunate for children to have a potentially traumatic and unpleasant upbringing resulting in challenges throughout adolescent and adulthood years. Furthermore, statistics from a study conducted years before, in 2013 with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives state the rate at which Aboriginals in Canada are living in poverty. It was determined that 50 percent of status First Nations children in the Canadian context live in poverty based on the Low Income Measure (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 2013). With Manitoba being the highest percentage from this resource, sitting at 62 percent living in poverty, it is evident that Aboriginals in Canada are struggling

    Read More

  • Is Poverty A Social Justice Issue

    545 Words  | 2 Pages

    Areas where the impoverished live are very unsanitary like in a trash filled alley. These unsanitary conditions make it a lot easier for a human to get sick compared to someone who lives in a clean house. Also once a poor person gets sick, he has to just deal with the illness. During this time, medicine and doctor visits are very expensive even with health insurance. As a result, more permanent damage is caused by illnesses. One statistic says that children living in poverty are more susceptible to mental illness as they grow older (Rehorn). Plus since there is no healthcare, it is more likely for someone to die with a serious

    Read More

  • Poverty Essay

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    Wealth is the many fortunes that billions of people have never gotten a glimpse of. In contrast, poverty has drenched the lives of over three billion people; 270 million of these people are Indigenous. The 15 percent of the world’s indigenous poverty resides in Canada. Issues such as land usage, lack of employment, internal conflicts, poor education, and racism are well known factors of poverty. The Indigenous peoples of Canada are predominantly controlled by the issues derived from poverty.

    Read More

  • Poverty in Canada

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poverty in Canada is rising and it needs to stop now! According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development or the OECD the poverty rate in Canada has been on a steady rise in the mid 1900’s until the late 2000’s. The two most affected types of people are children at 38 percent and aboriginal or First Nations people at 11 percent. The rest of the population stands at 4.3 percent on the scale of poverty in Canada said Food Banks Canada. There are tons of reasons why poverty is rising and why people are living in poverty, like drug or alcohol addiction. There are many more reasons why the poverty rates are so high, a recent poll indicated that 51 percent of people living in poverty are not in control of the reason why they are poverty, 11 percent of people do not know why or unsure of why people live in poverty and 37 percent of people say that people living in poverty aren’t doing enough to help themselves. There are also a lot of ways to help stop poverty or help the people who are living in poverty, for example make a video about it and help make people aware that poverty in constantly around them. Another way to help people living in poverty is by volunteering at a food bank like the Salvation Army. Poverty is all over the world but as Canadians we are concerned and should help make a change and stop the rise of poverty in Canada. (Tapscott & Officer)

    Read More

  • Reducing Poverty : Poverty And Poverty

    1378 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people do not realize that there are tens of millions of people in America who are living in poverty because they are stuck on the fact that America is one of the richest nations. People who are living in poverty barely have enough money to survive on basic necessities like food, shelter and electricity. They often have a hectic schedule filled with work, school, or other activities that they have to do in order for them to live a somewhat stable life. Unfortunately, there are others who are living in poverty that may be ill or disabled and barely able to survive even if they are receiving money to help with their situation. There are a few programs that help those in poverty with their financial problems, but they only help them to a certain extent. Changes need to be done to help alleviate the poverty rate because these people should not have to deal with all of these hardships or have such a negative perspective of life. Therefore, America can reduce its poverty by raising the minimum wage, making health care more accessible, and by making child care more affordable. These solutions will be a great start to reducing poverty and they will lead America into a brighter future.

    Read More

More about How To Reduce Poverty In Canada

Open Document