Poverty Reduction Strategy

The following is an op-ed piece by Judy Streatch, Minister of Community Services and Mark Parent, Minister of Labour and Workforce Development.

Last Thursday night, July 3, a wonderful event was held at Cole Harbour Place. The residents of communities from in and around Porters Lake, the Eastern Shore and Tantallon gathered to say thank you to the people who played a role in protecting their communities from major forest fires in June.

As usual, when Nova Scotians needed help, people rushed in with assistance. That is what Maritimers do. Time and again, we step up as individuals, businesses, communities and government to help. It is the same kind of rolling up of the sleeves and jumping in that is needed if we are going to do something about poverty in Nova Scotia.

As Dianne Swinemar of Feed Nova Scotia stated so passionately in her July 2 opinion piece in The Chronicle Herald, all levels of government, the private sector and the community at large have to be a part of any effort to tackle poverty. We need everyone to recognize the importance of this issue and the role they have to play. In the meantime, we are moving forward.

On June 26, the Poverty Reduction Strategy Working Group handed government its list of recommendations on how to best address poverty. The group, which is made up of organizations representing diverse interests, many of which work directly with people struggling with poverty, met every two weeks over the winter and spring in an effort to develop recommendations for the province's Poverty Reduction Strategy. Their hard work and dedication to this issue is invaluable to the development of the strategy.

The government's Poverty Reduction Strategy interdepartmental committee is meeting this month to review the recommendations and develop the strategy, which is expected by the end of this year.

We understand why some people are impatient for a plan right now to fix poverty, but, unfortunately, there is no quick fix. We have to come up with a strategy that will get at many of the root causes of poverty and help as many people as possible over the long term.

That is not to say, however, that government is standing still while the strategy is developed. Government continues to provide support for low-income Nova Scotians. This help includes the new planned minimum wage increases, the National Child Benefit and the Nova Scotia Child Benefit, the Income Assistance program, employment support programs, more than $56 million for affordable housing, social housing, and a 10-year, $200-million child-care plan. It also includes Working Families Pharmacare and the creation of the new Labour and Workforce Development Department's targeted focus on educating adults and fostering their success in skilled, safe, productive workplaces.

Where people are underemployed or have barriers to workforce participation, these efforts will develop their options, equipping them with the skills and supports they need to secure their spot in a workforce that treats them fairly and allows them to flourish. Their participation, in turn, will help grow an economy that can offer more to all its people.

Nova Scotians need to come together and work as a team if we are going to help those in our community who really need it. The number of people living in poverty in Nova Scotia has declined over the last few years. However, due to the rising costs of fuel and food worldwide, the number may grow to include people not traditionally thought to be living in poverty. Regardless of whether it is a stranger or someone we know, helping to lift our fellow Nova Scotians out of poverty makes the province a better place for everyone.

June 28 marked Nova Scotia's first Poverty Reduction Day. Nova Scotians were encouraged to mark the day by organizing and participating in events aimed at reducing the hardships that far too many Nova Scotians face on a daily basis. We know that this is already happening around the province every day. If we can succeed as a society in harnessing that Maritimer compassion and generousity under a strategic, co-ordinated and sustainable poverty reduction plan, Nova Scotia will be an even better place to live and raise a family, for everyone.