Dear friends:
The end of the beginning of our struggle was a truly auspicious day. I wish you could have all been with us in Toornto on Thursday as we huddled together in our makeshift campaign office in the back of the Queen’s Park cafeteria, portable computers clattering and Blackberries blackberrying as news that Ontario was turning the corner on poverty was sent out across the province to our partners in 25 and 5.
With Ontario signing on to our vision for a fairer and more just province, we have achieved a real milestone, a concrete foundation from which to continue our efforts. More than this, we’ve demonstrated what can be accomplished when government is prepared to seriously sit across the table with us to develop a poverty reduction strategy that works.
In order to get to this day, we’ve had to beat the odds and predictions that our coalition would never last, that issues of self-interest would prevail over common goals, and that the lure of reverting to attack mode would prove too strong. We sat at the table with firm resolve and confidence in our case. We stayed together, and we stayed positive as we increased our numbers exponentially across the province.
We’ve established trust with each other and we have shown we are ready to work with policy makers who are serious about working with us. We’ve shown that it is possible for change to happen with the support of the majority of Ontarians firmly behind our case. And that eradicating poverty in Ontario is such a noble goal that it demands the best from each and every one of us.
Working in partnerships we’ve told the truth about what poverty is, how it effects and corrodes lives, we’ve enlisted our neighbours, our local politicians, our unions, our faith leaders, our allies in the social justice movement and we’ve ensured that the voices of those with direct experience of poverty are heard and respected.
We're at the table. And our voices count, again. We will make ourselves heard.
What a sea change. What a moment for Ontario.
The next stage of our struggle begins now: and the first order of business is to ensure that people on OW and ODSP see increases that will enable them to do more than survive. This must be part of a stimulus package that will put money in the pockets of those who are sure to spend it in local communities so that we get the economy moving again.
Our challenge is to ensure that every time someone says "economic stimulus", the first image that comes to mind is the creation of new affordable housing and more child care spaces. It's struggling families making more than ends meet at the local grocery store. It's about change starting from main street, where Ontarians live and contribute to our communities.
The road out of this mess that we find ourselves in runs through investments in social infrastructure and opportunities for the poor. Our recovery is a moment for al of us to push forward together.
I am so proud of this coalition and so grateful for the hard work that each and every one of us has done to get us to this point. I am heartened that our movement stretches into every corner of this province and that my vision for a better Ontario is shared by folks from Thunder Bay to Windsor, Cornwall to Parkdale and much beyond.
We are a force to be reckoned with. A positive, unified force for real change.
Now let's get back to work.
Pat Capponi
December 6, 2008
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