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Dear Sust-mar people,
Did you know that Nov. 24th marks the 10th anniversary of a unamimous motion
from parliament to stop child poverty?
Communities across Canada will be holding actions of various sorts to
commemorate the motion and to urge the government to make good on its good
intentions. In the Maritimes, the most organized action I know of will take
place in Bridgewater.
As environmentalists, we ought to take advantage of this anniversary to
remind our governments that true security comes from protecting our
environment and preventing the kind of income disparity that sees some
people jetting about the world while others fish or cut trees illegally just
to make ends meet. This is also a perfect opportunity to remind other
activists, whose main focus may be on health or education, for instance,
that their concerns are linked to ours. (Just look at the list of groups
endorsing the march in Bridgewater below to see the potential for networking!)
all the best, Jan
***********************************************************
From: "Janet M Eaton" <jeaton@fox.nstn.ca>
To: netcc@chebucto.ns.ca
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 16:12:20 +0000
Subject: Child Poverty Wake Up Call to Feds- Bridgewater Nov 24 th
Message from:
Tami Cushing on behalf of the Organizing Committee which consists
of representatives from the following organizations:
Lunenburg County Community Health Board, Southwest Regional School
Board, Public Health Services, Family Support Centre, Second Story
Women's Centre, the Bridgewater Ministerial, Bridgewater Police
Department, Sharing Strengths, Youth Support of Lunenburg and Queens
Counties, Golden K, Mental Health Services, Community Action Program
for Children
FYI,
janet
==============================================
October 27, 1999
Dear Members ,
Your presence is requested on November 24th. All across the nation
communities are staging a Wake Up Call to the Federal Government and
an alert to everyone on the state of child poverty. Our community is
organizing an event that needs you, and your organization's
participation, to make a strong statement.
Why November 24th? On November 24th, 1989 an all-party resolution was
passed in the House of Commons stating that all political parties were
committed to eliminating child poverty by the year 2000. Have they
achieved this goal? Absolutely not! While few Canadians believed
such a lofty goal could be reached, it was reasonable to expect an
improvement. Instead, Federal policies since 1989 have increased the
level of poverty for children and their families.
The Campaign 2000 Report Card highlights what has happened since 1989.
· The number of poor children has risen by 60%
· Children in families with incomes less than $20,000 up 65%
· Children in families experiencing long-term unemployment up 33%
· Children in working poor families up 45%
· Children in families needing social assistance up 51%
· Children living in unaffordable rental housing up 91%
· Poor children in 2-parent families up 43%
· Poor children in lone-parent families up 92%
These figures are unacceptable and we need to increase public
awareness about the situation and hold the Federal Government
accountable. Children do not live in isolation, they are poor because
their families are poor. The entire community is impoverished when
large percentages of the population have to survive without basic
needs. It is everyone's responsibility to speak up about injustice,
we can not assume that the Government will fulfill it's commitment
without public pressure.
The Throne Speech delivered this October indicated that the Government
is going to spend 50% of the surplus on a Children's Agenda. Now is
the time to reinforce the message that children are important and that
child and family poverty is a community issue.
Join us at 11:45am on November 24th at the Public Health Services
parking lot, across from the YMCA Bridgewater. At 12 noon we will
march along King Street, up Empire Street and finish at the
Bridgewater Memorial Arena for a short rally. At the end of the rally
the Family Support Centre will be holding an Open House with hot
chocolate and a chance to have a discussion.
Churches will provide support by ringing their bells between 12 and
12:30.
Speakers will be Jeanne Fay, a Social worker with Dalhousie Legal Aid
and award winning social justice activist and Don Downe, Liberal MLA
for Lunenburg West and local business man.
Your support and presence is important. Bring your children.
Represent your organization or business by carrying a banner or sign.
Let's show our commitment to the children in our community. One lunch
hour can make a difference.
For more information please call 543-1301
On Behalf of the Organizing Committee
Tami Cushing
The Organizing Committee consists of representatives from the
following organizations:
Lunenburg County Community Health Board, Southwest Regional School
Board, Public Health Services, Family Support Centre, Second Story
Women's Centre, the Bridgewater Ministerial, Bridgewater Police
Department, Sharing Strengths, Youth Support of Lunenburg and Queens
Counties, Golden K, Mental Health Services, Community Action Program
for Children
********************************************************************
Since I (Jan) have gone to the trouble to write a letter to my MP, PC Mark
Muise, to coincide with the Nov. 24 cross-country call to action to make
good on promises to eradicate poverty, I am sharing the letter with you. Of
course, I hope you will write similar letters!
Remember the formula for writing to MPs:
name, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 <1st 5 letters of last name + 1st
letter of 1st name + @parl.gc.ca> so, Housing Minister Claudette Bradshaw's
is: <bradsc@parl.gc.ca>. DND (Dept. of National Death, sorry "Defence") is
Art Eggleton: <egglea@parl.gc.ca> Jean Chrétien can be reached at <pm@pm.gc.ca>.
all the best, Jan
*********************************************
from: Jan Slakov
secretary, Enviro-Clare
PO Box 35
Weymouth, NS
B0W 3T0
Nov. 17 '99
The Hon. Mark Muise, MP
Dear Mark,
I trust you know that Nov. 24 marks the 10th anniversary of a commitment by
parliament to work to end poverty, child poverty in particular.
Unfortunately, despite the good intentions, we have gone backwards since then.
Let us look at some statistics:
· The number of poor children has risen by 60%
· Children in families with incomes less than $20,000 up 65%
· Children in families experiencing long-term unemployment up 33%
· Children in working poor families up 45%
· Children in families needing social assistance up 51%
· Children living in unaffordable rental housing up 91%
· Poor children in 2-parent families up 43%
· Poor children in lone-parent families up 92%
Meanwhile, Canada spent $482,500,000 on the illegal and anti-humanitarian
bombing of Yugoslavia this spring.
Will you work to teach people about the dangerous way our priorities have
been skewed? (I could write a draft item for inclusion in your Christmas
mailing to consituents.) Will you work to see that we spend money to
eradicate child poverty, by creating affordable housing, by funding public
transit, by funding initiatives to produce healthy, organic food locally,
etc.? Will you work to see that we spend less money on military security,
which is truly an oxymoron, and more on true security, security that
prevents people from falling into the desperate circumstances which give
rise to war?
Thank you for your attention to my concerns.
I know you like people to show their commitment to their concerns by writing
to you by hand, so I will do that as well. But I would sure appreciate it if
you would reply to me by e-mail so that I can easily share your reply with
other members of Enviro-Clare, who share my concerns.
Sincerely,
Jan Slakov
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The preceding message was posted on the Sustainable Maritimes
mailing list (sust-mar). http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/lists/sust-mar
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