Poverty In Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Poverty In Canada - Essay Example UNISEF has found out that child poverty rate in Canada, which is one among the wealthiest nations of the world, was 14.9% in 1990s (Raphael, p.11 of preface). Canada’s treatment of its â€Å"poor, single mothers and natives† had come even under the UN criticism and the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights had remarked that the â€Å"country has not ensured Canadians enjoy economic and social rights guaranteed by a UN covenant to which Ottawa is a signatory† (Raphael, 9). The CCSD National Task Force had given a comprehensive diagrammatic representation for measuring poverty and had listed â€Å"three important dimensions of well-being† as, â€Å"economic, psycho-social and political participation† (9). The review done by the task force has shown that Canadian society lacks in all these three dimensions to various degrees (CCSD National Task Force, 9-11). ... The gravity of the situation is so that â€Å"more than 3m Canadians (or one in ten) are poor; and 610,000 of them are children† (The Economist). Causes The major cause of poverty in Canada is found to be lower wages that people are getting. It is a social reality that, â€Å"market incomes have stagnated for all earners, except the most wealthy† (Global Economic Justice Report, 2). In 2005, it was observed that â€Å"one in six Canadian workers earns less than $10 an hour† (Global Economic Justice Report, 2). A contributing factor to the low-wage situation has been the â€Å"increases in non-standard work (contracts, part-time work, temporary agency work) and an increased number of so-called â€Å"involuntary part-time workers†-workers who would prefer to work full-time but are unable to find such work† (Global Economic Justice Report, 2). As compared to the other rich nations of the world, Canada spends very less money on minimum wages, health and social service investments, education, employment, training, and social infrastructure (Raphael, p.12 of preface). In Canada, it is noted that the people remain poor because, â€Å"the political and economic system does not provide employment wages or social assistance benefits at a level†¦that allow for a life outside of poverty† (Raphael, p.11 of preface). Also the public policy does not ensure, â€Å"affordable housing, childcare, and health and social services, thereby straining the resources available to†¦vulnerable groups† (Raphael, p.11-12 of preface). The housing problem was so grave for low-income earners that the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights had asked Canadian government to consider low-income housing as a