Excerpted from introduction
Campaign 2000 releases its annual report card on child and family poverty, No One Left Behind: Strategies for an Inclusive Recovery. The report shows data that suggest poverty reduction has declined and in some parts of Canada, poverty has increased. Using the latest data available (from 2019) this report paints a stark picture of income, health and social inequalities and deepening levels of child and family poverty. In fact, children are living in deeper poverty. For example, the average single parent family with 2 children living in low income was $13,262 away from the CFLIM-AT in 2019, compared to $9,612 away in 2015. To reach the poverty line, a parent earning $15 per hour would need to work an additional 5.5 months full-time, assuming no taxes or deductions.
For the first time, the national report examines poverty through a social determinant of health framework. It is accompanied by an interactive map that shows that child poverty is a significant issue in every federal riding across the country. The report finds disproportionately higher rates of child poverty among communities marginalized by systemic barriers.
It was found that poverty reduction associated with the Canada Child Benefit will continue to stall and that it does not provide enough support to move families out of poverty. As such, the report offers recommendations for moving forward in a way that is inclusive and plays a clear role in poverty reduction.
This report offers 60 recommendations for poverty reduction and recovery efforts.
Key Findings from the 2021 National Report Card, No One Left Behind: Strategies for an Inclusive Recovery
- Nearly 1 in 5 children lived in poverty (1,313,400 or 17.7%) in 2019
- The national child poverty rate declined by .5 of a percentage points between 2018-2019, representing an additional 24,170 lifted out of poverty. At this rate, it would take 54 more years to end child poverty.
- The child poverty rate is higher (18.5%) for children under six than all children.
- The reduction in poverty associated with the Canada Child Benefit will continue to stall. The benefit cannot move eligible families in deep poverty out. The maximum CCB was $6,639 for each child under six and $5,602 for each child between the ages of six and seventeen in 2019.
- Canada’s universal childcare plan must include low-income children with a sliding scale fee model of $0 to $10 maximum.
- Care work should be decent work. The care economy (including health, childcare, education) represents 21.1% of all jobs and generates 12% of GDP and must be central to an inclusive recovery.
- Canada still needs a national pharmacare plan, which should be expanded to include dental, vision, rehabilitation.