Speech to the Couchiching 2010 Summer Conference Watershed Moment or Wasted Opportunity, a 3 day conference on the significance of this recession and the nature of the recovery. Armine presented on the "Role of the Government" panel, with Tom Flanagan and Alex Himelfarb, August 6, 2010.
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Employment and labour
Welfare "reform" in BC has made it more difficult to qualify for welfare, and many of those who have managed to remain on income assistance have multiple barriers to employment, including addiction, mental and physical health problems, learning disabilities, lack of English skills, unstable housing and homelessness. These recipients have not been well served by the “reformed” system, particularly employment training programs.
Two years ago, most Canadians were enjoying the peak of a 10-year economic growth phase that helped rank Canada among the 10 biggest economies on the planet.
Then, in the fall of 2008, the global economic meltdown came crashing down on Canada, knocking hundreds of thousands of workers into unemployment. According to Statistics Canada, child poverty in this country stood at 9 per cent in 2008 — down slightly from 9.4 per cent the previous year but certainly no harbinger of what was to come.
A few months back, Jim Stanford – in a provocative article entitled “When in doubt, blame unions” – noticed a troubling trend.
Stanford observed that the current recession seemed to unleash a wave of public resentment against labour unions – as people, fearful of their own economic security – turned their anxieties against the supposed superior economic position of union members.
Every recession ushers in a rising tide of poverty. As jobless and underemployed people struggle to make ends meet, the nouveau poor swell the ranks of the déjà poor.
The most recent statistical update on incomes in Canada was released last week, telling us that in 2008, as the nation headed into a brutal recession, there were just over 3 million Canadians living in poverty using the standard measure, Statistic Canada’s after-tax low-income cut-off (LICO).
Of related interest, the CCPA published an issue of its education journal on the topic of racism education. Click to take a look at Our Schools/Our Selves: Anti-Racism in Education: Missing in Action.
TORONTO – Ontarians from racialized backgrounds are far more likely to live in poverty, face barriers to finding a job, and receive less pay for work, says a study of Census data by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
Sexism and racial discrimination pack a double wallop, hampering racialized women’s earning power, says economist Sheila Block, CCPA Research Associate.
Inside this issue:
Add Your Voice to the New Call for a Poverty Reduction Plan by the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition
Women in the Canadian Economy by Iglika Ivanova
Assistance Recipients on Government Hit List by Keith Reynolds
Climate Inaction and BC’s Budget by Marc Lee
A Closer Look at Low Wages in BC by Steve Kerstetter
Families who work for low wages face impossible choices — buy clothing or heat the house, feed the children or pay the rent. The result can be spiraling debt, constant anxiety and long-term health problems. In many cases it means working long hours, often at two or three jobs, just to pay for basic necessities. Parents end up with little time to spend with their families, help their children with school-work, or participate in community activities.