Child poverty strategy called ‘ short- sighted’
B. C. must address issue if it wants to increase its skilled workforce, child advocate says
VICTORIA — If the province continues to ignore the current generation of children living in poverty, B. C. will never meet its goal of increasing its skilled workforce, says B. C.’ s youth advocate.
Representative for Children and Youth Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond said the Liberal government hasn’t acted on several of her recommendations over the last six years to address child poverty, aboriginal kids in care, domestic violence and youth mental health.
That “short- sighted strategy” makes it more difficult for disadvantaged children to break the cycle of poverty, addiction and homelessness later in life, and ultimately works contrary to the government’s promises to grow the economy, train new workers and reduce the provincial debt, she said.
“B. C. cannot afford any children to be beset by the impacts of poverty if we are to have a skilled labour force tomorrow,” Turpel-Lafond said.
The government has made boosting the skilled workforce a key priority, as part of its plan to grow a liquefied natural gas industry in the province and address a looming labour shortage.
But for that to work, the government’s economic policy needs to address social problems and give poor children “a fighting chance” to transition into the labour force, said Turpel- Lafond.
Turpel- Lafond took aim at the government’s economic objectives Thursday in a report that showed 72 per cent of her recommendations over the past six years have been acted upon by provincial ministries.
“While that might seem quite positive … this is not good enough,” she said.
Some of the most important recommendations went untouched, including a plan to reduce child poverty, specialized courts for domestic violence, reducing the high rate of aboriginal children in government care, and the creation of a minister of state for adolescent mental health, she said.
B. C. is one of only two provinces without a poverty reduction plan, and there are 93,000 children living in poverty.
“When it comes to child poverty, it’s enough to fill BC Place and then have people line up all the way down the street to Stanley Park,” she said. “We will not have the skilled labour force in the future if we just whistle by the graveyard on this issue.”
Premier Christy Clark has in the past said her government’s priority is to grow the economy and create better paying jobs, rather than immediately boost social programs.
“The promise of a growing economy and potential jobs doesn’t help the family that can’t pay this month’s rent, doesn’t help the child born and being raised in abject poverty for whom equality is only an illusion,” said Turpel- Lafond.
She also chastised the government for cutting $ 100 million out of the Ministry of Children and Family Development’s budget over the last five years.
But that’s not true, said Children’s Minister Stephanie Cadieux. Her office said the core budget for services has increased $ 40.5 million over that period, and what looks like a cut is human resources and technology services centralized in other ministries. Cadieux also took issue with Turpel- Lafond’s conclusions, saying they don’t acknowledge that B. C.’ s child poverty rate is at its second- lowest level in 20 years.
“We have made a lot of progress, both in areas covered by her report today and in other areas the representative doesn’t touch on in her report,” she said.
But an aboriginal leader who attended Turpel- Lafond’s news conference said much more needs to be done and First Nations are preparing to use the clout of a recent Supreme Court of Canada land rights decision to push governments and industry to do more to fight issues like poverty. Last summer, the high court ruled in favour of the Williams Lake area Tsilhqot’in Nation, granting aboriginals title to 1,750 square miles of land in the remote Nemiah Valley about three hours southwest of Williams Lake.
Grand Chief Doug Kelly, chairman of the First Nations Health Council, said the decision has forced governments and industry to consult with aboriginals on development issues, and First Nations want help fighting poverty among their people.
“If industry leaders want to create goodwill with First Nations they can begin to invest in eradicating child poverty and they can put the pressure on governments to put the proper pressure on the Ministry for Children and Family Development and other agencies for important programs,” he said.
Opposition New Democrat children’s critic Doug Donaldson said the government’s priorities for vulnerable children are lacking. He said when it comes to liquefied natural gas the Liberals moved quickly to form cross-government working groups, but Turpel- Lafond’s repeated calls for similar approaches for child poverty are ignored.