Poverty [1]

The incidence of poverty in Canada in general and in the Jewish community in particular is unacceptably high.  On average, low-income families in Canada earn approximately $9,000 below the poverty line each year.

Unfortunately, the level of poverty in the Canadian Jewish community is also at unacceptable levels – according to 2001 statistics:

• In the Greater Toronto Area, 11% of Jews live in poverty,
• In Montreal, 18.4% of Jews live in poverty,
• In Calgary, 10% of Jews live in poverty, and
• In Vancouver, 14% of Jews live in poverty.

The Jewish community is currently responding to a dramatic rise in vulnerability of the needy. Demand for social services is significantly escalating, and the challenges and problems faced by clients are becoming increasingly complex.

[1] Excerpted from Poverty in Canada: A Jewish Response. Submission to the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities. Toronto, June 2009

Poverty:  A Jewish Issue

Over many decades, Canadian Jewish Congress and the Jewish Federations that represent local communities across the country have fought to turn the dream of a poverty-free Canada into a reality. Our work has helped disadvantaged members of the Jewish and other minority communities realize their right to live as full citizens of our country.  As the late Louis Lenkinski, a Canadian labour leader and a volunteer leader in the Jewish community once observed, “There cannot be justice for the Jews until there is justice for everyone.”

The Jewish community has a successful track record of developing and providing programs and services to address poverty.  We have learned that each community has unique needs, and that a “one size fits all” approach has a low probability of success. The lessons learned over time bring us to the realization that a multidimensional approach integrated among a number of agencies and backed by community leadership can be most effective at reducing the scope of poverty within the community.

The foundation of our approach to poverty lies not in tzedakah, or charity, but in human rights. It implicitly accepts that the community shares an obligation to respect and uphold those rights.  In the Jewish tradition we speak of two equally important concepts; Tikkun Olam, the ethical commandment that Jews accept responsibility for making the world a better place; and the Talmudic observation that “…it is not up to us to complete the work of the world, but neither are we free to desist from it.” The path is clear and both the challenges and the opportunities are great.

To that end, Canadian Jewish Congress and our partners in Jewish Federations across the country have created community-based responses to addressing poverty.  Below are some examples of our recent advocacy initiatives in Toronto and Montreal.

Greater Toronto Area

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, in conjunction with Canadian Jewish Congress, convened a Social Policy Table comprised of members of the Jewish community with experience from across the social service spectrum.  The group works to put our community’s concerns about poverty into action.

In September 2008, the Social Policy Table responded to a request for province-wide input into a poverty reduction plan to be implemented by the Government of Ontario.  Along with UJA Federation, Canadian Jewish Congress submitted “Transforming Lives:  A Comprehensive Strategy to Combat Poverty” to the Hon. Deb Matthews, Minister of Children and Youth Services, Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues and Chair of the Ontario Cabinet Committee on Poverty Reduction. Canadian Jewish Congress and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto were later selected as one of seventeen delegations to present to the Standing Committee on Social Policy’s hearings regarding Bill 152, The Poverty Reduction Act, in April 2009.

Montreal

Quebec Jewish Congress is a key member of the Federation CJA Social Advocacy Committee, a coalition of community service organizations.  Most of the members provide front-line services and programs, while QJC advises on policy and advocacy concerns as they relate to poverty. For over twelve years, the Committee has acted in a concerted way with organizations and coalitions of the wider society to improve social and economic policies for the benefit of all. At its core, the Committee’s concerns and actions reflect the cherished Jewish values of seeking tzedek (justice) and tikkun olam (repairing the world).

In September 2008, the Social Advocacy Committee publicly called upon all federal parties to state their positions on the issues of housing, basic income level and health care, in ways that respect and complement Quebec jurisdictions.

A Multidimensional Approach: The Cornerstones of a Poverty-Free Canada

There is a need for a multidimensional approach to the challenge of poverty.  Such a strategy would identify key areas where various poverty indicators intersect and acknowledge the uniqueness and complexity of the challenge for each individual and/or group.  No “one-size-fits-all” solution will be viable.  However, a viable and lasting solution to the challenge of poverty in Canada can be achieved by focusing on three interconnected themes, or cornerstones:  income and employment, housing, and community support services.

Income and Employment: Through Jewish Federations and their agencies, Jewish communities in Canada support programs and services that help clients overcome income or employment challenges, by finding the client sustainable employment with a living wage.

Housing: Our community’s goal is to ensure that each family is spending no more than 32% of their income on housing, in accordance with CMHC guidelines.

Community Support Services: Unfortunately, economic exclusion often goes hand in hand with social exclusion. For many working poor families, and families with persons with disabilities, community inclusion can be prohibitively expensive. As a result, our most vulnerable community members are often relegated to the margins, excluded from the richness of community life. Access to services such as child care, family counseling, vocational counseling and financial literacy remain beyond their reach.

Policy Prescriptions

The varied causal circumstances of poverty necessitate varied responses and approaches.  Poverty is a complex issue that crosses ethno-cultural and religious boundaries and requires multi-dimensional solutions.  Like the Jewish community, Canada’s diverse ethnocultural communities want to contribute to this strategy and we encourage government to consult with such groups.

In addition, we believe that the design, implementation and evaluation of a national poverty eradication strategy should include consultations with stakeholders, other levels of government, members of the private, public and non-profit sectors and individuals, including those living in poverty.  In particular, government should note the existence of real barriers facing the poor in entering into consultations and understand that supports are needed to enable this to happen.  These include child care services, transportation and interpreters.  Community groups can help to bring those living with poverty into the consultation.

Evaluation and Measurement

It is necessary to ensure that government ministries do not act in isolation but rather work together to solve the problem of poverty. Therefore we recommend that an inter-provincial and territorial committee of ministers be created to deal with cross-jurisdictional issues.

Evaluation must be held with key stakeholders, other levels of government, members of the private, public and non-profit sectors and individuals, including those living in poverty.

It is important that the strategy also be reviewed regularly by an appointed independent body and that such a review lead to amendments.  Achievable time-lines and realistic accountability must be built into the national strategy.

Federal Financial Resources

The federal government has the responsibility to allocate sufficient and significant public funds to address the very public or social nature of poverty.  A fair redistribution of society’s resources is necessary to significantly reduce and end the injustice of poverty.

This critical role must respect provincial and territorial jurisdictions and provide adequate financial support to the provinces and territories to meet their responsibilities. Responses the federal government should take to reduce and ultimately end poverty in Canada include:

• Substantially increase the supply of affordable housing;
• Enhance the Canada and National Child Tax Benefit;
• Develop and implement a national action plan to end child poverty, with sufficient funding for the action plan to actively follow-up on the 1989 all-party federal commitment to end child poverty in Canada;
• Support and strengthen programs and mechanisms that serve women, aiming for complete equality, stronger social programs and ending violence against women;
• Increase support for training and education for low-income individuals and new immigrants;
• Create a national child-care and early childhood education strategy; and
• Improve food security for low-income individuals and families.

It is also essential that government provides financial incentives and support that will enable the third sector – including non-profit, charitable and voluntary organizations such as Canadian Jewish Congress – to continue their important work fighting poverty.  These organizations help build and strengthen communities, provide employment, and make a positive impact on the economy.  As such, they should be recognized as an integral component to a poverty strategy and be financially supported appropriately.

Conclusion

With provincial poverty reduction strategies now in place in Ontario, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, the federal government has a critical role to play in creating an over-arching national strategy to eradicate poverty.   While we recognize that inherent federal jurisdictional challenges exist in the creation and implementation of such a strategy, these challenges can be overcome by working in cooperation and collaboration with all levels of government.