2000.03PU CHILD POVERTY AND BENEFITS
Whereas:
In a 1997 update, Eliminating Child Poverty in Canada, the National Council of Women of Canada urged the Government of Canada to take a lead role in making the elimination of child poverty a priority issue in Canada by raising the Child Tax Credit for low and modest-income families and fully indexing it to inflation. Furthermore, in 1999, the National Council of Women of Canada urged the Government of Canada, in cooperation with the governments of the provinces and territories, to undertake the Articles of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 27—acting to raise living standards of the poorest Canadian children);
and,
Whereas:
With a growing gap between rich and poor, those who benefit the least from our vast national wealth are children living in families at and below the Statistics Canada Low Income Cut-off;
and,
Whereas:
Canada is failing its commitment, as announced in its all-party resolution in 1989, to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000;
and,
Whereas:
The number of children living in poverty has increased by over 50% since the resolution was passed and now is in the order of 1 in 5 children;
and,
Whereas:
Persistence of child poverty highlights that Canadians have collectively failed to care for its children;
and,
Whereas:
Poverty is a key determinant in a child’s health, success in learning, and later employability;
and,
Whereas:
Children living in families dependent on social assistance are further disadvantaged in all provinces, except New Brunswick and Newfoundland, by the clawback of the National Child Tax Benefit payment;
therefore, be it
RESOLVED:
That the National Council of Women of Canada urge the Government of Canada to substantially increase the amount of the Child Tax Benefit and to set terms for payment which benefit all children equally;
and further be it
RESOLVED:
That the National Council of Women of Canada request the Provincial Councils and Local Councils (where appropriate) to urge their respective provincial governments to cease the clawback of the federal Child Tax Benefit from those families receiving social assistance.