Sign the Open Letter: Strengthen Canada’s Poverty Reduction Bill
January 28, 2019
Campaign 2000 and partner Dignity for All are collecting signatures for an open letter that will be sent to Minister Jean-Yves Duclos in mid-February. The letter provides concrete recommendations to strengthen Bill C-87, An Act respecting the reduction of poverty. It also urges Canada to commit to ending poverty by 2030 to align with the United Nations’ first Sustainable Development Goal.
We urge all concerned individuals and organizations across Canada to read and sign this Open Letter by February 6, 2019. Please visit the Dignity for All website for a list of recommendations and to read the full letter.
Our recommendations include aligning with, and explicitly referencing, Canada’s international human rights obligations; ensuring that Canada’s official poverty line genuinely reflects the experiences of poverty in Canada, especially as faced by those in marginalized groups; and ensuring that the National Advisory Council on Poverty provides an effective accountability mechanism for those living in poverty.
This legislation provides Canada the historic opportunity to be a global leader in human rights and to commit to a country free of poverty where every child and family thrives.