An article posted on May 28th by the Health Promotion Clearing House:
Discussion Points for the Provincial Election
Spring 2009
The Poverty working group is a multidiscipline group, with representation from all teams in Public Health. In 2008 one of our new strategic mandates launched was to address health inequities. In addition our organization works to promote the population health approach especially by addressing the #1 determinant of health – Income and Social Status (also known as Poverty). Although we work on poverty in the population we have a particular concern for poverty affecting children and youth.
The following points are meant as a guide you can use in talking to candidates in the current provincial election campaign. Please use these in-person conversations, phone calls, e-mails or if you attend candidate debates.
Collaboration: The impact and solution to poverty goes beyond the mandate of one department. Just as the health promotion and protection department must be involved so too must transportation, community services, justice, and education, to name but a few departments.
Will you and your party commit to creating a Poverty Reduction Act with tenants of the Act to include collaboration having all government departments work together on the comprehensive and legislated NS Poverty Reduction Strategy similar to those in Quebec and Ontario?
Affordable Housing: Housing is one of our basic and most costly necessities. There are many issues around affordable housing (dwellings costing less than 30% of before-tax household income) for low income Canadians, including those on social assistance. There is a great need for a Provincial Housing Strategy within the NS Poverty Reduction Strategy, but we need a provincial government that is committed to effective implementation and delivery of existing funding for housing.
What would your party do to effectively implement a housing strategy in Nova Scotia?
Will you and your party commit to the return of the Department of Housing to commit to a Provincial Housing Strategy?
Transportation: Transportation increases a person’s access to health, education, employment, and social opportunities.
If elected what priority would your government place on affordable, accessible transportation that will serve the needs of low-income Nova Scotians?
Support for Children and Families: Children living in poverty face limited opportunities and sometimes go hungry, yet children are poor because their parents are poor. We need to lift the incomes of parents living in poverty and provide better supports for children.
What position does your platform take on the following concerns that will have an impact on child and family poverty?
- Raising the minimum wage to a living wage
- Raising the NS Child Tax Benefit
- Eliminating the wage claw back for people on welfare to allow them to reach a living wage
- Universally accessible childcare and early learning system through daycares and Family Resource Centres
Also see:
Nova Scotia's Poverty Reduction Strategy (PDF)
Report Card on Homelessness in Halifax Questionnaire
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