I’ve seen a lot of this country. I’ve been across it by land, coast to coast, more times that I can remember. I’ve seen its good sides, its bad sides, and everything in between. But today is Canada Day, which means that we celebrate this nation’s birthday without pondering its faults. It’s a day of parties and events, flags and fireworks.
That said, I’m going to focus on something that all Canadians should be aware of, if only because it has to do with their fellow Canadians. And what better day to do it than on Canada Day? Now, I’m sure that some might deem the mention of the following subject inappropriate on such an occasion – but such narrow-mindedness is precisely why I’ve chosen to write about it.
In 1989, Parliament unanimously resolved to end child poverty in this country by the year 2000. Despite that resolution, Canada’s child poverty rate is almost exactly what it was twenty years ago when the pledge was made. Even though this nation is one of the richest in the world, some 1.4 million Canadian children live in poverty. Put into context, Canada’s population is 33.6 million, and we’re just talking about impoverished children, not overall poverty levels.
British Columbia leads the way with the auspicious distinction of having the highest child poverty rate in the country, an ‘honour’ that it has held for years. While the number dropped compared to the national average several years ago, it’s important to remember that that was during an economic boom in BC, and even that didn’t alter the fact that more children in British Columbia still lived in poverty compared to anywhere else in the country. Given the economic downturn, things are only bound to get worse.
I suppose it’s an easy thing to ignore when you look at Third World countries in which people live on less than $2 dollars a day. Unfortunately, that sort of thinking only excuses the problem. The fact remains, given this nation’s wealth, the number of children living in poverty is utterly inexcusable. It represents a significant national shame, and a problem that should receive far more attention than it does.
