Dignity for All? Canada Reneges on Human Rights Commitments

In 2006, the UN’s Human Rights Council was mandated to "undertake a universal periodic review … of the fulfillment by each State of its human rights obligations and commitments.” Canada has been under review this year and delivered its response to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 9.

68 recommendations were presented to the Government of Canada. Ottawa accepted 39, rejected 14 and “partially accepted” another 15. As part of its response, Canada has refused to implement a national poverty eradication strategy that incorporates a human rights framework, using the tired old argument that addressing poverty is the responsibility of other levels of government. (For a more detailed account of Canada’s response, see Chandra’s blog).

This unfortunate response counters calls from provincial governments for federal engagement. Seven Canadian provinces have either implemented (Quebec, Newfoundland & Labrador, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Manitoba) or are developing (New Brunswick and PEI) poverty reduction strategies. So have many Canadian municipalities. Shawn Skinner, former Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment in Newfoundland and Labrador, and Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, have both said that provincial strategies will only be successful if the federal government supports them. Most recently, Manitoba’s strategy, released May 21, explicitly states that “the federal government must be a willing partner.”

At least 1 in 10 Canadians currently live in poverty, and this rate has not changed substantially over the past 25 years. The current recession means that the most vulnerable Canadians are now at even greater risk. Already, people working full-time at minimum wage are living in poverty (as measured by the low-income cut-off). The poor are the first to lose their jobs and find it harder to get new work. Social assistance and Employment Insurance are inadequate to prevent people from living in poverty. As the economy continues to slump, it is clear that the difficulties faced by poor Canadians will increase and more people will slide into poverty.

Canada has no excuse whatsoever for failing to address poverty. Especially now, when 60,000 jobs were lost in Ontario alone this month, the federal government should not decline to act.

Civil society has taken up the challenge. On May 22, 2009 at the Canadian Social Forum in Calgary, Canada Without Poverty and Citizens for Public Justice announced the official start of Dignity for All: The Campaign for a Poverty-Free Canada.

Dignity for All is a collective initiative. It is designed to build a public groundswell for moving poverty elimination up the political agenda. In the space of just two weeks we received support from over 60 organizations, as well 500 individual Canadians. Our support base is growing.

Dignity is a core concept for what it means to be human and it is the foundation of international human rights agreements.
For the youngest members of society, living with dignity is having the freedom to enjoy childhood. It is not having to worry about adult arguments over money or whether you’ll have winter boots that fit and keep you warm. Dignity is being able to attend your friend’s birthday party – and bring a present.

For an adult, living with dignity is being able to provide for yourself and your family. It is having the confidence to face the challenges of life, it is knowing that you won’t be refused service. Dignity is being able to sleep at night in warmth and comfort, unencumbered by concerns of basic survival.

Poverty robs people of their dignity. It forces unconscionable decisions between buying the groceries or paying the rent. It manifests itself in shame, doubt, and fear. And it is a daily reality for far too many Canadians. Many others currently find themselves on the brink, not sure if they will have jobs through to the end of the month, or if they’ll have the means to retire.

For a country as rich as Canada, there is no excuse for growing disparity, for the continued need for food banks or for emergency homeless shelters. We have a responsibility to look out for the needs of our neighbours and to build a society – and an economy – that promotes the common good.

The federal government, with its particular policymaking, legislative, taxation and redistributive powers, has an especially critical role in building a poverty-free and more socially secure Canada. As the Caledon Institute has stated, “We believe that the federal government has the dominant role to play in tackling reduction. It can reduce poverty, it does reduce poverty and it should reduce poverty a lot more.”

Poverty in Canada can be eliminated. We need to agree that now is the time to act.

This article originally appeared at www.cpj.ca.