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Dear Provincial and Territorial Premiers:

In anticipation of the upcoming Annual Premiers Conference, we are writing to urge that you focus your attention on the persistence of child and family poverty in Canada. Despite some modest achievements in child benefits, quality child care and affordable housing, governments have a great deal of work left to do in these areas.

The theme of the 44th Annual Premiers' Conference, "Toward a New Era of Cooperation", is fitting. Canadians have said loud and clear that government action on child poverty should be a priority on the agenda across the country. No one has benefited from the constant tension between federal and provincial governments in the field of social policy, least of all the families with children for whom action is needed.

Despite consecutive years of economic growth, poverty retains its stubborn hold on more than 1.1 million children in Canada. Robust growth and social investments in income support policies are finally contributing to an expected decline in the rate of child poverty. The number of poor children in low income families has dropped from one in five, to one in six for the first time since 1989. Yet, the one child out of every six children who remains in a low income family has not experienced much of an improvement in his/her living standards. In the midst of growing prosperity, low income families still struggle far below the poverty line. In 2000, two parent families continued to fall deeper into poverty and would need, on average, $10,032 just to reach the poverty line. Despite some improvement, female-led lone parent families would still require an additional $8,510 to reach the poverty line.

We recognize that health care will be front and centre during your discussions. We want to call your attention to the fundamental link between a healthy start in life and the long-term impact on the well-being of children. As stated by Roy Romanow, Chairman of the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada, "we've known for a long time that money is the single largest determinant of health." There is ample research that shows that low income children are more likely to encounter additional hurdles to healthy development and to experience a host of negative situations that affect their health and well being.

The National Children's Agenda: Acting Together for the Benefit of Children

A new era of cooperation across all levels of government is needed. By working together, governments can build a comprehensive system of social and income supports to strengthen and support all families across Canada through good times and bad. Campaign 2000 believes that the recommendations presented below are crucial to providing children with a healthy, supportive environment and will lead to a strong future for Canada:

1. An enhanced child benefit is needed to achieve substantial reduction in child and family poverty. In order to achieve this, annual child benefits must provide a maximum of $4,400 per child available to all low, modest and middle-income families; this benefit must not be clawed back by provincial governments from those vulnerable families on social assistance.

2. Provincial and Territorial government must sign on to the Multilateral Framework on Early Learning and Child Care as a key step in the development of a regulated, high quality child care system that is universal, inclusive and accessible.

3. Families need the creation of a National Affordable Housing strategy leading to the construction of 20,000 new affordable units each year for ten years and the rehabilitation of 10,000 units per year.

1. National Child Benefit and Reinvestment Strategy

The slow success in reducing child and family poverty is a key lesson from the Canada Child Tax Benefit: we will get as much out of this program as we are willing to put in. Existing benefits are not enough to mitigate the extremely low levels of social assistance across the provinces nor to bolster income security among working poor families.

The 2003 Federal Budget indicated that as the CCTB reaches $2,500 provinces and territories are obliged to pass on benefits to families, even if they are on social assistance. Since 1991, welfare incomes fell by more than 23% and still provincial/territorial governments continued to deny federal benefits to families. Even as minimum wages stagnated and fewer secure jobs were available throughout the decade, governments continued to focus on welfare rates as the only problem. Instead of a race to the bottom, we urge governments to work collaboratively on an anti-poverty strategy that includes strategies to create better jobs.

Any serious strategy to reduce the depth and levels of child poverty requires substantive and additional income transfers. In its most recent budget, the federal government announced plans to gradually raise the CCTB to a maximum of $3,243 per child by 2007. While it is encouraging that the government is scaling up its investment, the commitment is far too slow and it will not get vulnerable families where they need to be.

The Canada Child Tax Benefit must be increased to a maximum of $4,400 per child to be available to all low, modest and middle-income families. The federal government would principally finance this benefit but it is critical that a corresponding amount of money is not clawed back by provinces and territories from those vulnerable families on social assistance. At the same time provinces and territories must sustain funding in programs that support families.

2. Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)

It is encouraging that quality child care was recognized in the most recent federal budget. We would like to express our support for the Multilateral Agreement of Early Learning and Care which we see as a first step towards a national child care program. We urge provincial and territorial governments to use this new agreement as a springboard to bolster access to regulated, high quality child care.

It is our view that while the Agreement is a welcome first step, there is a need for more developed policy processes to develop pan-Canadian programs of early childhood education and care. From a longer-term viewpoint, we are most concerned that the annual funds allocated over the five-year span are inadequate to even begin to meet the needs of Canada's almost five million children (0-12 years) and their families. We will be urging the federal government to step up its commitment to quality child care and call for your cooperation in making a national child care program a reality. The long-term goal for Canada must be a high quality early childhood education and care system that is inclusive of all children, including those with disabilities, in every region of Canada.

3. A National Affordable Housing Strategy

Stable, affordable housing is essential to supporting sustainable, inclusive communities and to ensuring the health and well-being of children. However, dwindling federal and provincial government support and declining private sector investment have combined to create a rental housing crisis across the country. As rents rise and become increasingly out of reach for families, vacancy rates have plummeted in recent years. As a result, more than 40% of renter households are paying more than 30% of their monthly income on rent, which leaves them little money for food, transportation or other basics.

The recent federal budget dedicates $320 million over five years to top up the Affordable Housing Initiative, but allocates only $80 million during the first two years - far short of the $1 billion investment needed to build 20,000 new affordable units. While provinces and territories have signed a framework agreement with the federal government for this new initiative, most have yet to contribute their own funding to make the agreement work.

We urge the provincial Premiers to join in a political and financial partnership with the Federal Government with the goal of increasing the number of new units produced to 20,000 annually and the number of refurbished units to 10,000 per year.

Moving Forward on Eliminating Child Poverty

We have finally made some progress in reducing poverty among families, but there is still much work to be done to ensure the well-being of all children and their ability to fully participate in their communities.
Moving forward on the children's agenda requires that governments at all levels work together with the interests of children as a guiding principle for action and collaboration. Your leadership and vision is needed to ensure that no child lives in poverty; that early childhood education and care is available to support parents in giving every child a good start in life; that safe affordable housing is available for all; and that parents have income security and jobs with good wages and decent working conditions to support their families.

The partners of Campaign 2000 would be pleased to work with you to ensure that "first call" on the nation's resources becomes a reality for Canada's families and children. We wish you success in your upcoming meetings and look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Laurel Rothman
National Coordinator

Letter available in French

CC:
The Right Hon. Jean Chrétien, P.C., M.P. Prime Minister of Canada
The Hon. Jean Augustine, P.C., M.P. Secretary of State (Multiculturalism) (Status of Women)
The Hon. John Paul Manley, P.C., M.P. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
The Hon. A. Anne McLellan, P.C., M.P. Minister of Health
The Hon. Allan Rock, P.C., M.P. Minister of Industry and Minister Responsible for Infrastructure
The Hon. Robert Daniel Nault, P.C., M.P. Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
The Hon. Jane Stewart, P.C., M.P .Minister of Human Resources Development
The Hon. Ethel Dorothy Blondin-Andrew, P.C., M.P. Secretary of State (Children and Youth)
The Hon. David Collenette, P.C., M.P. Minister of Transport
The Hon. Claudette Bradshaw, P.C., M.P. Minister of Labour
The Hon. Steve Mahoney, P.C., M.P. Secretary of State (Selected Crown Corporations)
The Hon. Denis Coderre, P.C., M.P. Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
John Godfrey, M.P. Chair of the Sub-Committee on Children and Youth at Risk

Campaign 2000 is a cross-Canada coalition of over 85 national and community organizations united in securing the implementation of the 1989 House of Commons resolution to end child poverty by the year 2000. The coalition includes faith leaders, labour unions, health care providers, housing providers, social workers, teachers, social policy advocates, child care organizations, women's groups, service organizations, anti-poverty advocates, researchers, academics and many social planning councils.