Progress could continue, but political will is required
Pandemic benefits contributed to a drop in child poverty rates in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2020, but the rate remains higher in this province than the Canadian average. -123RF stock photo“It is our moral failure that we still tolerate poverty.”There is no reason, other than the lack of political will, that child poverty still exists in this province, says Neria Aylward, executive director of the Jimmy Pratt Foundation.
Aylward said the reason for the drop — the biggest since the Canada Child Benefit was introduced in 2016 — is attributable to government transfers, such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit .
Jimmy Pratt Foundation executive director Neria Aylward: “It's kind of counterintuitive because 2020 was a year of a lot of job losses and financial challenges for families, but primarily because of government transfers, like the CERB, child poverty went down substantially.” - SaltWire Network file photoIt takes time to compile the data, so 2020 is the most recent information available.
The SPAN executive director says CERB made a noticeable improvement for the parents she serves, but the subsequent clawbacks had the opposite effect. Children in single parent families led by women represent the highest percentage of children in poverty in Newfoundland and Labrador. Neria Aylward said those rates are high in comparison to the rest of the country. She cited the large gender wage gap in the province as a factor.
“Rising inflation, increased corporate profits and the rollback of pandemic benefits suggest that reductions in poverty and inequality will not be sustained," the report says.
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