Benefit program only first step

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/07/2016 (2828 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canada is launching the largest investment in reducing child poverty in a generation. The new Canada child-benefit program is expected to reduce child poverty rates by more than a third and lift 300,000 children out of poverty.

In Manitoba, this could bring approximately 12,400 children above the low-income cutoff, after-tax level by 2017. The federal Liberal government should be applauded for making this investment.

When cheques start rolling out around July 20, families will receive up to $6,400 per year, depending on income and the age of children. The federal government has calculated it will add an average of $2,300 more in the pockets of most families receiving the benefit. Because it is graduated according to income, lower-income and larger families will likely receive an even bigger boost.

This benefit is particularly needed in Manitoba.

By some measures, Manitoba has the highest child poverty rate of any province, especially when surveys include First Nations children living on reserve communities. On average, children in low-income families in Manitoba live $13,000 below the poverty line. When combined with the recent provincial rent assist program, the new Canada child benefit will help close this deep poverty gap.

Children growing up in poverty have reduced health outcomes. Living with the stress of poverty can disrupt the development of “emerging brain architecture and long-term health,” according to the American Pediatric Association. Children in poverty have less access to a healthy and varied diet and are more at risk of diet-related illnesses. A Canadian diabetes clinical management evaluation study found a lack of affordable food puts First Nations children at greater risk of diabetes — 10 to 20 years younger than the general population.

Even small amounts of extra money can make a significant difference in the lives of children.

A recent program funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada demonstrated an $81-per-month prenatal benefit for low-income mothers resulted in fewer premature births, higher birth weights and healthier babies overall. This evidence shows it should be trusted that low-income families will first spend their limited income on necessities that will benefit the health and well-being of their children.

For the Canada child benefit to be successful, it is important those who need it most receive the full benefit.

Most provinces and territories have committed to not clawing back the benefit from those receiving social assistance. Only Manitoba and Quebec have not yet said whether they intend to pass on the full benefit to their lowest-income citizens.

Manitoba’s Minister of Families, Scott Fielding, should publicly commit to not clawing back either employment and income assistance or rent assist as a result of the new benefit.

The introduction of the benefit reinforces the need for a comprehensive plan on poverty reduction. Cash benefits for children can only go so far towards ending poverty. The money parents receive from the benefit barely covers the average cost of licensed child care in Winnipeg — $451 per month, according to a 2015 CCPA study. Quality jobs, health care and education and training need to be included in an overall poverty reduction strategy with targets and timelines for their implementation if Canadians hope to end child poverty.

While the federal government deserves credit for introducing this new benefit, some historical context is also needed.

For many families, next week’s cheques are arriving decades late. In 1989, Parliament voted to end child poverty by the end of the 20th century. All parties agreed to this essential goal and its realistic timeline. This commitment was reconfirmed by a motion in the House of Commons in 2015. Despite unanimity, no sustained progress was made for nearly 30 years.

Had the government met its original timeline, youth entering adulthood today would never have known hunger, poor housing or the want and stress created by not having enough to make ends meet. They would be entering university or the workforce in better health and better prepared to seize the opportunities before them.

While the improvements in the Canada child benefit are significant, they represent only a first step towards this long-delayed goal.

We should not take our eyes off this long-term objective. We must continue to call on governments at all levels to implement a comprehensive plan to end child poverty in Canada.

Josh Brandon is a community animator with the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg