Province’s poverty reduction strategy targets 3 demographics
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WINNIPEG — The provincial government released its new poverty reduction strategy on Tuesday.
The plan targets three demographics to provide supports and resources — youth leaving the child welfare system, seniors and children under five.
Critics said the 36-page report lacks substance, doesn’t include firm numbers in its poverty reduction goals and doesn’t include a list of initiatives.
The strategy is void of a specific programs list because “what works today may not work tomorrow,” said Housing Minister Bernadette Smith.
“By setting actions annually, we can better align resources with current priorities.”
Government will measure its progress through eight indicators, including Canada’s market basket measure and rates of employment, child mortality and high school graduation, among other things. It will publish progress through annual poverty reduction reports.
Three thousand Manitobans — including Indigenous organizations and people with lived experiences — were part of consultations, said Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine.
Consultations began two years ago. The final document is steeped in Indigenous teachings, Fontaine and Smith said.
Goals include supporting early childhood education, providing transitional supports to youth aging out of care and cementing safe housing for seniors, among other things.
Jodie Byram, the Progressive Conservatives’ families critic, said the strategy has “no plan and no substance,” citing the rising cost of groceries. Nationally, grocery prices rose 4.7 per cent year-over-year in November.
A “glaring hole” in the strategy is the lack of commitment to raising Manitoba’s minimum wage to a living wage, said Kevin Rebeck, president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour.
» Winnipeg Free Press