November 25, 2005 Highlights

On November 24, Campaign 2000, the national poverty organization released its annual report on Canada’s record for addressing the incidence of child poverty.  The organization reported that almost one in every six Canadian children lives in poverty and that the national child poverty rate has been stuck at about 18% since 2000, despite economic growth.

One of the more concerning findings of the report is that the child poverty rates for Aboriginal, immigrant, and children in visible minority groups are worsening and are more than double the average for all children.  The 2005 report also claims that the poverty rate among children with disabilities is 27.7%.

The Campaign 2000 report cites the UNICEF report, Child Poverty in Rich Countries, which ranks Canada as 19th out of 26 OECD countries in terms of these industrialized countries’ child poverty rates.

To read the full Campaign 2000 report.

Following the release of the report, NDP MPP Michael Prue called the Ontario government to account for failing to increase the Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Supplement rates in the government’s most recent budget.

Community and Social Services Minister Sandra Pupatello responded by stating: 

“What we have done since we became the government two years ago is instill [sic] the first 3% increase in both welfare rates as well as disability rates for the first time in 12 years. In fact, individuals had not seen a raise since the early 1990s.”

In a supplementary question, Mr. Prue asked why the Ontario government had not fully re-instated the Harris government’s clawback of the federal child benefits.  The Minister did not directly address the question in her response, but pointed to the $37 million value of the government’s partial reinstatement of the clawback.

2.  Violence Against Women

On November 24, representatives of all three political parties made statements in recognition of November 25, the day observed around the world as International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.  Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues, Sandra Pupatello reported that, among other things, the government was sponsoring a conference from November 28 – 30 that will focus on violence against women.

Speaking on behalf of the NDP, MPP Marilyn Churley urged all parties to support her Private Member’s Bill, Bill 35, which proposes to bring sexual harassment and other forms of workplace harassment under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.  PC MPP Elizabeth Wtimer stated that responding to violence against women was a non-partisan issue and pointed to initiatives the previous Tory government took to address the issue.

3.  New Federal-Provincial Agreement to Support Immigrants

On November 21, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Mike Colle announced a federal-provincial funding agreement to support Ontario immigrants.  Under the terms of the agreement, the federal government will invest an additional $920 million over the next five years in Ontario. The funding will expand existing services designed to assist immigrants settle, find employment, and access language training. 

The agreement expands federal support from $800 to $3,400 per immigrant.  Ontario had been holding back from signing the agreement, arguing the federal plan short-changed the province compared to the province of Quebec that receives much higher levels of financial support per immigrant.

4. MPP Calls for More ESL-Trained Teachers

On November 23, Liberal MPP Shafiq Qaddri took the opportunity to draw attention to English-as-a-Second Language Week. He pointed out that 41% of students enrolled with the Toronto District School Board have a language other than English as their first language, a fact that underscores the importance of ESL programs.  He reported that, of 1,300 graduating students at the education faculty of the University of Toronto/OISE, only 60 in any given year take ESL as an elective.  He called on the government to do more to promote ESL education.

5. Scarborough-Rouge River Byelection

Liberal candidate Bas Balkissoon sailed to an easy victory in the November 24 byelection to replace retiring MPP Alvin Curling.  The unofficial results give Mr. Balkissoon 58% of the vote, PC candidate Cynthia Lai 24%, and NDP candidate Sheila White 15%.

6.  People for Education Release Mid-Term Report

On November 21, the parent organization, People for Education released a mid-term report assessing the track record of the provincial government with respect to addressing education issues.

While the organization praises the Ontario government for making progress in a number of areas, the report identifies the following as key concerns:

• The lack of policy and/or funding for new schools or for closing schools;
• The continued lack of a transportation funding model that reflects actual costs;
• The lack of detailed grant information for school boards to assist in their planning and budgeting; and
• The gap between the benchmarks in the funding formula and the actual costs of salaries and operations.

To read the full report, check this website link: www.peopleforeducation.com

For more information, check the website of the Ontario Legislature: www.ontla.on.ca