Excerpted from Katie-Sue Derejko’s presentation at the release of the National Anti-Poverty Plan for Canada – February 3, 2015.
It is clear that unconscionable disparities exist in this country.
The statistics in the “National Anti-Poverty Plan for Canada” should be enough to convince most that something needs to be done to address them. It also clearly tells us that the piecemeal efforts and siloed funding initiatives we currently have in Canada are not going to be enough to address what many would define as a wicked problem.
The Canadian government has the responsibility to take a comprehensive approach to these issues, while acknowledging and valuing the work being done by the provinces, territories, and communities across Canada.
Looking at these statistics would have to fill almost any of us with shame, politicians included.
Shame to know that in a country as wealthy as this one, such poverty and suffering exists. What is worse is that this poverty and suffering is exacerbated within First Nations communities in Canada. Whether measured by health indicators, employment rates, education outcomes, or food security, First Nations are the worst off – the statistics are appalling.
Surface-Level Statistics
Take a second and think about these statistics and ask if they really are a fair representation of the realities of First Nations people.
I would argue they are somewhat misleading.
Of course, the surface level manifestations that we count are rates of HIV, diabetes, or chronic disease. And death certificates will mark the cause of death as suicide, cancer, or substance overdose.
But what is the real cause of these causes?
It is lack of access to care and a chronic under-funding of social support systems and schools. It is systemic racism and a violation of human rights. What we count and make into statistics is merely what boils up to the surface.
Now if only there was a box to check on a coroner’s report for cause of death that said lack of access to services.
Perhaps people would begin to address things differently.
Dignity for All
Transforming this situation in Canada will not come from more or better – it will come from different.
No single sector, department, policy, initiative, or funding envelope is going to address the wicked problem that is poverty in Canada. Canada needs to reflect on its current policies. We need to develop new and different funding mechanisms, new and different institutions, new and different ways of acknowledging these challenges.
The “National Anti-Poverty Plan for Canada” makes strong fiscal arguments for a comprehensive policy plan. Of course, there are the benefits of better health and equitable opportunities for all in Canada. These are very important reasons for why Canada needs such a plan.
I think there is another reason.
Perhaps not the most important, but one that needs to be recognized. And that is reflective of the name of this campaign – Dignity for All is defined as “the state of being worthy of honor or being respected.”
And in this approach let us not limit this only to those suffering from poverty in this country, but let us also apply it to the government, and those with decision-making power about where resources are spent and what becomes a priority. If Canada wants to be respected and wants to be seen as a dignified country – then they have no other choice but to immediately begin to address these unjust discrepancies within this country.
Poverty Must be an Election Issue
We need to act on this plan together; the voices of many strong and united. And in acting we need to be prepared for, yet not fear, being called naïve idealists. Because many people, especially those who benefit greatly from the status quo, are going to tell us that such an initiative is lofty and implausible – that there isn’t the funding.
And when we hear this we need to remember it is it plausible. We have to demand that this becomes an election issue. We have to demand that government departments work together – from the start – to address these issues in a comprehensive sustainable way.
We have to reiterate that we are not okay with the status quo. That we are not okay with piecemeal funding that allows governments to pat themselves on the back. We are tired of stovepipe programs that ignore the cause of the cause, and merely put a band aid on a gaping wound. We have to make known that we are tired of hearing there is isn’t enough funding or resources. Canada has more than enough resources – it’s about redistribution of those resources, prioritizing funding, and who makes these choices.
We have the power to elect the right people to make these choices. And the right people who are going to address poverty in Canada in a comprehensive, systematic and sustainable way. So we need to come together and make our voices heard. What we need to do is expose this dark underbelly of poverty in Canada so that everyone knows. Because I have to believe, and perhaps this is why I am often called a naïve idealist, that if people in Canada knew extent of poverty and suffering in this country, they too would act.
