WHEREAS more than 132,000 of British Columbias children, one in five and almost three times the entire population of New Westminster, live in poverty; AND WHEREAS two thirds of this number resides in single parent households, many of which receive no support from the absent parent; AND WHEREAS many of these children continue to fall between the cracks with the current legal, financial, and social measures now in place; AND WHEREAS Canada is a signatory to United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which includes Article 27 1 the right of every child to a standard of living adequate for the childs physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development; and 3 States Parties ... shall take appropriate measures to assist parents and others responsible for the child to implement this right and in the case of need provide material assistance and support programmes, particularly with regard to nutrition, clothing and housing and in 1989 the Canadian government made the commitment to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the government of Canada undertake, in a comprehensive and non-stigmatic manner, to end child poverty in Canada.
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Despite the economic gains we have made over the last several years, many Canadians remain in need. With this in mind, we have put in place a number of initiatives that help ensure children in low-income families are supported in reaching their full potential. To assist them, we have taken a number of different steps. The Government of Canada recognizes that to secure a vibrant and productive Canadian society, we must invest in our children. Research demonstrates that quality early learning programs contribute to the healthy development and future success of young children, and access to child care is also a significant factor affecting parents ability to work. Investing in early learning and child care is one of the best ways we can enhance the social and economic fabric of this country, now and for the future. To this end, we have put in place a comprehensive set of initiatives that reflect and support the range of families choices and circumstances. For example, the Canada Child Tax Benefit, a tax-free monthly payment, helps over 80 percent of families with the cost of raising children. Other measures provide more targeted income support for low-income families and those supporting children with disabilities. Through joint initiatives with provincial and territorial governments, we are supporting the improvement and expansion of a range of early childhood development programs. We have also put in place a number of targeted community-based programs to support children and families at risk. Supports such as these can benefit Canadian families with children whether they are headed by lone parents, or if one or both parents work outside the home. We must build on these measures, in order to address families growing need for early learning and child care. The statistics are clear. In 2000-2001, close to 70 percent of children aged six months to five years were living in a household where either both parents or the lone parent were working or studying. Yet, Canada only has enough regulated child care for one out of every five young children. To address this gap, the February 2005 federal budget confirmed our commitment to invest an additional 5 billion over five years in a national initiative to support the development of early learning and child care across Canada. The majority of this new funding will be provided to provinces and territories to enable them to improve and expand early learning and child care supports. The new funding will also include 100 million for early learning and child care for First Nations children living on-reserve and, a further 200 million for research, evaluation and related activities that will support better planning and accountability. I have been working with my provincial and territorial counterparts on the details of a new initiative, based on the shared QUAD principles: quality, universally inclusive, accessible and developmental. As you may know, we have recently signed Agreements-in-Principle with several provinces. Agreements-in-Principle with other provincial and territorial governments are expected to follow in the coming weeks. You can find copies of the Agreements-in-Principle announced to date on the Social Development Canada Web site at www.sdc.gc.ca. With these agreements, we are moving forward on a national vision for early learning and child care that will guide governments actions as they enhance their programs for children and families. There will be provincialterritorial flexibility to provide supports that best meet the respective priorities and circumstances of the provinces and territories, but always within the context of the QUAD principles. There will also be clear accountability through public reporting on activities, expenditures and key indicators of availability, affordability and quality, so that citizens can track their governments progress.