Put poverty on Harper agenda

By Doug Koop  |  Editorial Director

Prime minister Stephen Harper is under attack for nearly neglecting issues of poverty and homelessness in his October 16 throne speech. But a harder look suggests the government might have a more compassionate heart than it’s willing to wear on its sleeve. Perhaps.

Liberal leader Stéphane Dion insists that a strategy to curb poverty would be at the “heart of our Liberal agenda,” and told the Commons “a plan to fight poverty is urgent.” In his reply to the throne speech, Dion said that more than 500,000 senior citizens and more than one million children live in poverty. “We cannot waste a generation. All our children deserve to share in the bounty of our nation.”

So what did the throne speech actually say?

“The bedrock of our workforce is middle-class Canadians and their families,” begins the most relevant section. “These families worry about the rising costs of higher education and the expense of caring for elderly parents. They worry about affordable housing and the number of homeless people on our streets.”

And then: “Our government is committed to helping Canadian families meet their needs. The Working Income Tax Benefit will help Canadians get back into the workforce, and the registered disability savings plan will help families care for children with severe disabilities. Our government will continue to invest in our families and our future, and will help those seeking to break free from the cycles of homelessness and poverty.”

Politicians will forever pour on the partisan rhetoric. It’s very unlikely that a Liberal government would make a mission out of attacking poverty in Canada, as Dion’s response would indicate. It didn’t happen before. Most political leaders—and most North Americans, including most self-proclaimed practicing Christians—manage to talk a much more compassionate line on poverty than we ever actually bring into being.

Speaking at a gathering of Christian anti-poverty workers 18 months ago, Harper stalwart Jason Kenney said: “People of faith—evangelicals in particular—are at the forefront of helping those on the margins of society. This is noble work.” And these are noble and encouraging words. But the real measure of the government’s commitment comes neither in the rhetoric nor in the throne speech, but in the budget.

In that context, talk about tax cuts is less welcome than the government’s line about investing in families and the future. Veteran social activist Gerald Vandezande says, “we need to help the rich spend their money wisely.” He observes that “the rich now includes the government, which has a $14 billion surplus,” adding that “money spent on homelessness and poverty is a social investment, not an expense.”

Vandezande emphasizes how “crucial” it is that “Christians not be seen to be ignoring the poor.” In a July 10 letter to the prime minister, he refers to the Ottawa Manifesto: Regarding Poverty and Homelessness, a widely publicized document produced by front-line anti-poverty workers under the auspices of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The manifesto maintains that a country’s “progress is measured by our standard of care for the least privileged among us.”

A cadre of Christian anti-poverty workers are determined to help the prime minister and his colleagues understand that good government and good faith demand positive action on behalf of the poor and dispossessed. As Vandezande describes it, “homelessness is the most drastic and disabling symptom of a level of poverty that simply should not be tolerated in a country that has Canada’s resources, skills and ethical traditions.”

The message has merit, coming as it does from people who themselves are sacrificially committed to working alongside the less fortunate.

Just before the throne speech, Harper sent a letter replying to Vandezande. His response was also forwarded to a number of key cabinet members who, he says, “would welcome further dialogue” on “these important issues.” Vandezande is working to advance this agenda. “Poverty and housing ought to be non-partisan issues,” he insists.

What’s really needed is an all-party attempt to do what’s best with vulnerable Canadians. Can the Harper government lead this charge?

Here’s hoping.

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