authors in action

Money Where Your Mouth Is

As an author, I think a lot about poverty. Poverty of thought, of insight; poverty of understanding. But today I’m looking at poverty as a literal, raw financial reality.

The vast majority of the world lives in poverty. If I had lived in the historical times in which I set many of my novels, my own existence would be considered wealthy beyond measure. I live in a warm and safe home. I have enough food for myself and my family. I have access to clean water and medical care. And I live in a country where these things are often taken for granted.

Things were not always like this. When I was growing up our family income was never even within shouting distance of the poverty line. My single mother worked all the time, and by dint of Scottish heritage or just plain stubbornness made sure my sister and I wanted for nothing. She never considered social assistance as an option and I still don’t know how she did it.

But somehow today, things have shifted subtly. Hard work and stubbornness aren’t enough any more. Homelessness has reached new heights in this country. Food banks are doing a brisker business than ever before. The once comfortable, mostly middle class Canada appears to be melting away, with the small group of rich somehow getting wealthier and the poor an ever-growing pool, not of ne’er-do-wells, but of hard-working people who can’t wrap their heads around a half-million dollar mortgage on a salary that won’t even cover rent in many of our large cities.

While much of the rest of the world continues to be in abject need, the group of people in the same situation in our own country continues to grow. I can’t believe that a country with a history of social activism as proud as our own can turn aside when the need is so great.

Listening to the CBC (another proud but dwindling Canadian legacy) this week, I heard of a new website started up by a group dedicated to fighting the spread of poverty.

As a rule, I do not support organized religion in any form. This group, however, appealed to me because of their nonpartisan cooperation in the face of a daunting enemy – poverty. The Religious Social Action Coalition of Newfoundland and Labrador is a nonpartisan group from a broad array of religions – Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and others – committed to the abolition of poverty at home and abroad.

A noble aim, but to what end?

Check it out. The website they’ve formed – candidatesagainstpoverty.ca invites those running for office in this election to register their commitment against poverty on-line, for all to see.

Money where your mouth is.

Here’s a little clip from the site:

In 1999 – according to Statscan – the richest 20% of Canadians had a combined financial net wealth of 2.4 trillion dollars.
The poorest 20% had a combined net wealth of less than zero! They had a combined net debt of 3.7 billion dollars.
By 2005, just six years later, the wealth of the richest 20% had grown to 3.4 trillion dollars. That’s a gain slightly over 43 %.
Meanwhile, the indebtedness of the poorest 20% rose 70%.

I’m typing this piece on September 26, 2008. As of this date, none of the candidates in my riding has stepped forward to declare his (I have no women running in my riding, sadly) commitment to ending poverty at home and abroad.

I’m hoping that will change by the time this piece hits the blogosphere.

The way I see it, the toughest part about fighting poverty is knowing where to start. This website impressed me because it starts the fight by asking a few good questions of the folks who would like a shot at running this country.

It’s not enough to just pledge to eliminate poverty in Canada and the world. After all, that’s an apple pie promise – who wouldn’t fight poverty if they had the chance?

No – to make the grade on this site, there are some specific questions that need to be answered.

Do you support making elimination of poverty in Canada as high a priority as deficit reduction was in the 1990s? Will you establish targets and a timeline? Will you help create an accountability mechanism to ensure these targets and timelines are met? Will you support tax policies to reduce inequality? Will you vote to fund & support the Kelowna Accord? Will you designate full federal funding for a federal/provincial Child Care system, Pharmacare, and affordable housing? Will you vote to keep Lester Pearson’s promise that Canada will dedicate 0.7% of our GDP to foreign aid?

Tough questions. But a good place to start. Where does your candidate stand?
Where do you?

~kc dyer
also blogging as leftwriter

© 2008 Defining Canada.