Excerpts from the press release:
In a report to the federal government made public today, the National Council of Welfare (NCW) advises Canadian governments that a workable solution to poverty is within their reach and that Canada can have the kind of success that other countries are achieving.
"Whether solving poverty is approached as an issue of fairness, human rights or economic productivity, there are common elements that are working in different societies and they can work in Canada", says Council Chairperson John Murphy, stressing that "this is not a partisan issue but it is definitely political; we have the capacity and what we need now is the will to do it."
The report, Solving Poverty: Four cornerstones of a workable national strategy for Canada, highlights that Canada in general is out of step with important developments in preventing and reducing poverty. Many other countries, and two Canadian provinces, have had the same debates about the same issues, including how to measure poverty, but they have found ways&emdash;remarkably similar ways&emdash;to move on to action and to achieve measurable progress. They are bringing poverty levels down, replacing human misery with opportunity and building stronger societies in the process. The NCW thinks it is necessary and possible for Canada to do the same.