The House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities recently issued their seventh report, calling for a federal poverty reduction plan that employs a human rights framework.
The report provides a detailed account of the current Canadian situation, existing provincial and international strategies, and a series of short-term and longer-term recommendations. Proposed short-term changes include modifying existing tax credits, investing in housing, employment and training, and increasing benefits provided by income security programs. The authors also make over 50 additional recommendations, including creating a poverty reduction fund that would be available to provinces carrying out poverty reduction work.
The committee also recommended that the federal government encourage training for people with mental health problems by funding the Mental Health Commission of Canada to conduct pilot projects related to training.
See “Federal Poverty Reduction Plan: Working in Partnership towards Reducing Poverty in Canada,” Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, November 2010, available at www2.parl.gc.ca.
For more information about reducing poverty, visit www.ontario.cmha.ca/policy.