OTTAWA – New Democrat Poverty Critic Tony Martin will be in Rome tomorrow as part of an official MP delegation monitoring the G8 Social Policy Summit, March 29-31.

“Canada is 26th among 30 OECD countries on social policy indicators. Stephen Harper’s conservative government has no plan to tackle poverty or to help those who are most vulnerable in our society,” said Martin. “More and more Canadians families are left behind during this economic crisis. Now is the time when we need strong social policy and the Conservatives could learn a lot from European social policy.”

While in Europe, Martin will meet with Italian and European Union MPs, as well as leading trade union, employer federation and research institute representatives.