Statistics Canada has just announced 2022 income data. It reports that Canada’s poverty rate is lower than pre-pandemic levels and that Canada is on track to reach its 2030 poverty target.
It’s true as far as it goes. But it leaves out a key piece of information: the poverty rate in 2022 is higher than it was in 2020.
Way down in the details, Statistics Canada reports that the number of families with children who are living in poverty has gone up since 2020, when the COVID payments were at their most generous. The same is true for seniors.
Waiting until 2030 to meet poverty targets is going to be too late for the children who will become adults and for the seniors who will be dead.
Statistics Canada has again missed an opportunity to be up front about the situation of people in Canada who are poor1. Read more at Government of Canada: Canada’s Poverty Rate Remains Below Pre-Pandemic Levels
As for the decision makers and the people who design the policies, John Stapleton at Open Policy Ontario shares public messaging that Canada has resumed poor bashing. Never mind whether you are above the poverty line or not, being poor is a disgrace, and if you find yourself in that position, it’s your fault.
Considering that Canada is generally stingy with its social programs2, this is all the more disappointing.
Stapleton reports similar patterns in the United States. We should not be surprised by the higher levels of evictions and homelessness, which are being reported in both countries post pandemic. Read more in Open Policy Ontario: Poor Bashing Is Making A Post Pandemic Comeback
