‘Needs not met’: anti-poverty advocates
Anti-poverty advocates rallied at Saskatchewan’s Legislative Building in Regina on Tuesday.
Among the small crowd of people was Pamela Blondeau, who said she came out to find out what people are doing to end poverty and see if she could help somehow.
Blondeau said she has “lived in poverty for most of my life” and now survives paycheque to paycheque. She joined many in attendance in calling on the provincial government to take further action to address poverty in Saskatchewan, including introducing anti-poverty legislation.
“We made them leaders for a reason, we vote for a reason,” Blondeau said. “We’re so hopeful every time the election ballot boxes come out, so you know, they need to claim some responsibility and they need to do more.”
Then Blondeau turned and pointed to the nearby and well-manicured Queen Elizabeth II Gardens a stone’s throw away from where the protest took place.
She glanced up at the still-somewhat-shiny new dome on the Legislative Building and declared: “We live in a modern time” and “It’s pretty sad to find out that a lot of people’s needs are not being met.”
Just before Blondeau started an- swering media questions, one of a handful of speakers at the protest had finished reading what amounted to a long list of grievances antipoverty advocates have with the current Saskatchewan Party government. Despite the government later stepping back from some decisions, March’s provincial budget saw significant cuts to Social Services programs.
Anti-poverty advocates are quick to point out those cuts — which include further clawing back of benefits and a continued effort to direct people to social programs offering fewer supports — come on the heels of the province’s stalled anti-poverty strategy.
Since the province released the strategy last year, there have been few tangible steps taken to fulfil its mandate. Anti-poverty advocates see distant goals outlined in the strategy — like cutting in half the number of people who experience poverty for more than two years by the end of 2025 — as little more than empty promises at this point.
Also in attendance at the protest were three students from Miller Comprehensive High School.
Taking part in a school project, Grade 9 students Brezlyn Schlosser, John Cuenceo and Tameika Missens are learning about homelessness. “I find it very unfair, I guess, that (some) people have so many resources and others don’t,” said Schlosser.