Government of Canada concludes Tackling Poverty Together Project case study visit in Winnipeg, Manitoba

WINNIPEG, April 26, 2017 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, thanked the community of Winnipeg, Manitoba, the Government of Manitoba, the City of Winnipeg, and all participants for taking part in the Tackling Poverty Together (TPT) Project in the community of Winnipeg. The Government of Canada is committed to tackling poverty and inequality to achieve real results.

TPT is intended to inform the development of the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy and allow the Government of Canada to hear directly from Canadians living in poverty and learn from organizations that deliver poverty reduction programs at the community level. The project will also explore the unique characteristics and perspectives of poverty as experienced in each of the communities as well as identify local solutions and suggestions to reduce poverty.

The community visit in Winnipeg, which took place from March 20 to 24, is the third case study to be completed to date. During the visit, 160 people with a lived experience of poverty were consulted through focus groups and in-person interviews. As well, a roundtable session was conducted with 16 community stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations involved in poverty reduction initiatives, federal, provincial, and municipal government representatives which placed a strong emphasis on partnership and engagement. A second roundtable focused on Indigenous issues was conducted with 8 stakeholders dedicated to serving the Indigenous community in Winnipeg. In total, over 1000 people in Winnipeg have also participated in a survey, through the telephone, online, or in-person. The input and feedback collected through these discussions, meetings, and interviews will provide valuable information which will help in the development of the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy.

The last stop for the TPT project will be in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

The Government of Canada will release its findings on the TPT project later this year. All Canadians are encouraged to learn more about what is happening under the Poverty Reduction Strategy by visiting the webpage or joining the online conversation with #ReducePoverty on Twitter and follow @SocDevSoc.

Quotes

"Every Canadian should have the chance to build a good life for themselves and their families. About one in ten people in Canada are affected by poverty. We all need to work together to find the solutions to this complex issue. I want to thank the participants in Winnipeg who shared their personal stories and experiences with us. Working together, we can find solutions that will give all Canadians a chance to succeed."
-The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

Quick Facts

• In 2014, 3 million Canadians, 8.8% of the population, lived in poverty. This included more than half a million children.
  
  
• Unattached people aged 45 to 64, single parents, recent immigrants, Indigenous people and people with disabilities are more likely to experience poverty.
  
  
• In 2014, about 746,000 Canadians lived in families that worked but were poor.
  
  
• In 2014, Canada's low-income rate for seniors was 3.9%.
  
  
• In 2011, Over 655,000 Canadian households spent at least 50% of their income before taxes on housing. About 90% of these households were low-income.

Associated Links
Backgrounder: Poverty 
Poverty Reduction Strategy webpage 
Towards a Poverty Reduction Strategy: Discussion Paper 
Consulting Canadians on poverty reduction 
Advisory Committee on Poverty webpage

Follow us on Twitter 

Backgrounder

Poverty is a complex issue that affects more than 3 million Canadians. That means that 1.9 million families struggle to make ends meet.

The Government of Canada is committed to developing a Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy to reduce poverty and improve the economic well-being of all Canadian families so that they can have a real and fair chance to succeed.

To ensure that the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy reflects the diversity of needs and approaches throughout the country, we are undertaking the following activities.

Tackling Poverty Together

The Tackling Poverty Together Project is an in-depth case study of six communities across Canada: Saint John, New Brunswick; Regent Park(Toronto), Ontario; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Tisdale, Saskatchewan; Trois-Rivières, Québec; and; Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. It aims to assess the impact of poverty reduction programs locally in communities that have identified poverty as an issue, while learning directly from people who know first-hand what it's like to live in poverty. The project involves gathering qualitative and quantitative information on the impact of government programs on those living in poverty, barriers to accessing the programs, and ideas to improve existing programs.

Consultations on a Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy 

The Government of Canada has launched an engagement website where interested individuals and organizations can provide their input and opinions on Canada's Poverty Reduction Strategy. Additionally, Minister Duclos will hold discussion forums and online town halls to hear what Canadians have to say.

The online engagement, to be held until June 2017, will be complemented by in-person roundtables with provincial, territorial and municipal governments, Indigenous organizations, businesses, community organizations, academic experts and Canadians who have experienced poverty.

The Government welcomes all input on the ways to reduce poverty and its impacts, including potential targets, timelines, and indicators for the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Advisory Committee on Poverty

The Ministerial Advisory Committee on Poverty will contribute to the development of a Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy by complementing the public consultations and taking that work a step further. One of the Committee's key roles will be to act as a sounding board to help test ideas that are generated in the public consultations process.

The Committee's work will build on the consultations by providing independent advice on how to identify priority areas of action, how to replicate innovative international and domestic programs in Canada and at a national level, and how to align federal government actions to reduce poverty with those of the provinces and territories.

The Committee will operate for one year. Members will be representative of Canada's diversity and will be selected from five key areas, including academia, international expertise, service delivery, business, and persons with a lived experience of poverty. 

The Committee members will be selected through a public call for nominations process. The nomination period was from February 13 to March 27, 2017. Through this process, the Government of Canada invited interested individuals who have experience with poverty and poverty reduction to apply for the ministerial advisory committee on poverty.

Other Recent Government of Canada initiatives to support Poverty Reduction 

The Government of Canada also offers many programs that play a key role in helping Canadians living in, or at risk of living in poverty, including: the Canada Child Benefit, the Homelessness Partnering Strategy; the Canada Learning Bond and the Guaranteed Income Supplement. The Government also provides funding for social housing through the Investment in Affordable Housing program and additional direct funding to First Nation communities.

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

For media enquiries, please contact: Émilie Gauduchon-Campbell, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, P.C., M.P., Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, 819-654-5546; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]