A new report indicates that British Columbia has the highest child poverty rate in Canada, with one in five kids considered statistically poor, says a report that calls for quick action to alleviate a worsening situation in the western province.
The report by the child and youth advocacy group First Call said B.C.’s child poverty rate is 18.6 per cent compared to the national rate of 13.3 per cent. Manitoba’s rate, the second-highest in the country, stands at 17.3 per cent.
Adrienne Montani, First Call’s provincial co-ordinator states: “B.C. stands out as having done the least among all provinces to bring down child and family poverty through government supports and programs.”
The report, unfortunately is not reporting something new. BC has had one of the worst child poverty statistics in the country for years. Is there any reason why BC cannot fix this problem. In a letter to the editor in the Times Colonist, Dr. Robert Duncan argued:
According to the most recent report by First Call, B.C.’s child-poverty watchdog, the rate of child poverty in Prince Edward Island, Canada’s poorest province, is 9.5 per cent, just over half (51 per cent, to be precise) of B.C.’s rate of 18.6 per cent, and the rate of child poverty in New Brunswick, Canada’s second poorest province, is 10.5 per cent, less than three-fifths of the rate in B.C.
Clearly, a province’s economy has no relevance to its rate of child poverty; the rate of child poverty is determined by policy choices made by those in power, not by economics. According to a recent UNICEF report on child well-being, Canada is 27th out of 29 industrialized countries (ahead of only Latvia and Romania) in terms of the category “Child Health and Safety.”
In terms of overall child well-being, stable, prosperous Canada ranks behind such countries as Portugal, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, countries that are in crisis and have been for some time.
What these various comparisons show is that the rate of child poverty is not a result of economic conditions in a particular society, but instead a matter of policy priorities and choices. The rate of child poverty is a reflection of political will.
There are a number of students attending school in Langley who do not have homes to go to at night. Many are couch surfing, staying with friends, but there are a few with no place to go. Aldergrove Neighbourhood Services is seeking support for a permanent shelter for those who are stranded. — image credit: Dan Ferguson/Langley Times
The problem of child poverty is not a problem that plagues the present, but the future as well. Last week the Langley Times reports on the high incidences of high school students who are homeless. “Hidden homeless youth” have been a looming and growing social problem. Homeless youth are the fastest growing segment of the entire homeless population in Canada. The difficulty is that a hidden homeless youth isn’t one whom you will find on the street. He or she is trying to finish high school or hold a job while searching for affordable housing because going “home” isn’t an option. These youth are homeless not through any fault of their own. Family problems, addiction issues, struggles with mental health and poverty all play a part.
However, as Dr. Duncan argues above, the problem doesn’t lie with the resources to address the issue of youth homelessness—it is the political will to do so. From the non-profit sector, it is amazing how many corporations have accepted the message that investing in children and youth today prevents crises and higher indirect costs tomorrow with regard to chronic poverty and homelessness. It would be wise for the province to seriously consider a social policy that works toward eliminating the cause of poverty and homelessness rather an depending on quick-fixes and band-aid solutions.