25in5.ca » Real gains made as poverty reduction becomes law

A Special Message from the 25 in 5 Legislative Action Table

Dear friends,

Ontario is on the cusp of an historic step forward on poverty reduction as final reading of Bill 152 is set to begin on Thursday of this week.

We would like to send out a word of gratitude for everyone who helped craft the 25 in 5 recommendations and who participated in the hearings for Bill 152, the Poverty Reduction Act – our final submission is available at www.25in5.ca.

There was an impressive list of two dozen groups who appeared before the Ontario Legislative Assembly’s Standing Committee on Social Policy on April 20 and 21. There were several other groups who made written interventions. Many of those presenting endorsed the 25 in 5 Network’s recommendations and several groups brought forward additional recommendations for change. (Click here to directly link to the transcript of the presentations.)

Throughout the process, the 25 in 5 Legislative Action Table had a constructive, ongoing dialogue with officials from the Liberal government, the NDP and the Progressive Conservatives as well as with MPPs from all parties on the Standing Committee. It is our assessment that all parties did a careful job of listening to the many recommendations – of 25 in 5 and others groups – and responding with motions based on those recommendations.

But in the end our ability to push and finally achieve key amendments could not have happened without the strong, unified voice presented during the hearings. Our hats also go off to the Toronto Star for a well-aligned and perfectly timed editorial to coincide with the beginning of the Standing Committee on Social Policy hearings.

While we did not succeed in getting all the amendments that we had proposed, we did have a significant impact on key facets of the bill.

At this stage, we will seek to get all-party support for the legislation to ensure this Bill will have a lasting impact for many years to come.

Below you will find a summary of the amendments that were made on Monday, April 27 when the Standing Committee on Social Policy met for the clause by clause review of the legislation. The legislation will go to third reading later this week and become law soon thereafter.

It is also significant that, with the passage of Bill 152 into law, provinces representing two-thirds of Canada’s population (Ontario and Quebec) will now have entrenched a commitment to poverty reduction in legislation. This means that pan-Canadian approaches are now within reach at the national level.

We could not have achieved the changes we got without the strong support of 25 in 5 Network member groups. And, of course, we could have not achieved this milestone without the efforts of the many who pushed for a Poverty Reduction Strategy in the first place.

Thank you.

For the 25 in 5 Legislative Action Table:

Greg deGroot-Maggetti, Mennonite Central Committee
Sarah Blackstock, Income Security Advocacy Centre
John Stapleton, Policy Fellow, Metcalf Foundation and St Christopher House

Key Amendments, or What We Got

Poverty reduction strategies will be guided by a vision that reflects Ontario’s aspiration to be a leading jurisdiction in reducing poverty.
Recognition that adult poverty, as well as the poverty of children and families must be tackled by poverty reduction strategies.
A fixed date, March 31 of the following year, is established for the annual report to be laid before the Legislative Assembly.
Stronger language regarding the significance of discrimination on the grounds of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family status or disability and the need for particular attention to be paid to the barriers faced by these groups.
Women are now included in the list of groups at heightened risk of experiencing poverty.
Stronger language to support the involvement of Ontarians, especially people living in poverty, in the design and implementation of poverty reduction strategies.
Recognition of the significance of the third sector in poverty reduction work.
Stronger language regarding the indicators to be used to measure poverty specifies that determinants of poverty include but are not limited to income, education, health, housing and standard of living.
Stronger language regarding the individuals and groups to be consulted with by the Minister on a regular basis states: “The individuals and groups to be consulted by the Minister must included representatives of people at heightened risk of poverty including immigrants, women, single mothers, people with disabilities, aboriginal peoples and racialized groups.”

What we did not get

A vision of a poverty-free Ontario
An independent body to review and assess progress on poverty reduction.
A clause that would require Ontario’s laws, policies and practices to be consistent with the principles outlined in the legislation.
Recognition that strengthening Ontario’s human rights laws and the enforcement system is essential to the reduction of poverty.
A clause requiring targets to represent a “substantive” reduction in poverty.