Widespread support for a National Anti-Poverty Plan
Dignity for All campaign presents over 4,000 postcards to the All-Party Anti-Poverty Caucus
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ottawa, ON: Wednesday, May 6 – At a meeting on Parliament Hill today, The Dignity for All campaign presented the All-Party Anti-Poverty Caucus with 4,000 postcards calling for a National Anti-Poverty Plan for Canada.
The postcards, addressed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, were gathered on October 17, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, in 45 communities across the country.
The anti-poverty caucus will deliver the postcards to the Prime Minister. The caucus is made up of six Conservative, New Democratic, and Liberal parliamentarians.
“These communities gathered signatures as part of activities called Chew on This!” said Joe Gunn, Executive Director of Citizens for Public Justice. “This campaign draws attention to the high levels of food insecurity and poverty in Canada and the need for action beyond Band-Aid solutions, like food banks.”
The Dignity for All Campaign, co-led by Citizens for Public Justice and Canada Without Poverty, has called for a national anti-poverty plan since 2009. In February, the campaign released its model national anti-poverty plan which will they will present to the Poverty Reduction Summit in Ottawa on Thursday, May 7.
Harriett McLachlan, the Chair of the Board of Canada Without Poverty stated that, “poverty is a violation of human rights.”
“Canada has been called on multiple times to develop a national anti-poverty plan,” she said, “but we still don’t have one. These signatures from these postcards demonstrate that people across Canada believe that it’s time for the federal government to step up to end poverty in this country and that we need a plan to do so.”
The Dignity for All Campaign will continue to collect signatures from communities across Canada and will continue to push for a comprehensive, human rights based approach to addressing poverty. 1 in 7 people across Canada should not have to face poverty on a daily basis. It is time for the federal government to fulfill their obligations under international human rights law.
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For more information contact, James Armbruster at 613-789-0096 ext.3208 or 1-800-810-1076, or by email: james[at]cwp-csp.ca.
