New Democrats have the strongest plan against poverty

In response to Campaign 2000’s analysis of child poverty in Canada, New Democrats reaffirmed their commitment to fighting poverty.

“I don't accept that hundreds of thousands of kids go to school in the morning without having eaten” said NDP Leader Tom Mulcair. “We'll get rid of the stock option loophole that exists for CEO's and that $500 million will be paid over dollar for dollar to help those kids get out of poverty.”

The NDP’s plan to fight poverty will:

• Boost benefits like the National Child Benefit Supplement, the Working Income Tax Benefit, and the Guaranteed Income Supplement to lift thousands of Canadian families and seniors out of poverty;
• Expand access to Employment Insurance benefits and increasing funding for training by $1.5 billion so that unemployed Canadians don’t fall into poverty;
• Reinstate the federal minimum wage and progressively raising it to $15 an hour so that work pays a living wage for more Canadian families;
• Reduce the cost of childcare and helping women to enter the paid workforce by creating a national affordable childcare program;
• Invest in affordability for Canadian families through affordable housing, accessible public transit, and a national prescription drug plan.

Campaign 2000 analysis showed today that no riding in Canada is immune from child poverty. Thirty federal ridings in the GTA have child poverty rates above the national average of 19 per cent, according to the report.