This week’s infographic, published by the Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD), takes a look at poverty in Canada. The CCSD is a non-profit organization that specializes in social development. The organization takes a cross-sectoral approach to the issue of social development, collaborating with government, business, and philanthropic agencies. CCSD has been in operation since 1920 and the organization has played a role in promoting Canada’s first old age pension program and employment insurance. Figures in the infographic are drawn from a 2013 Statistics Canada data table that uses income measures to measure poverty.

Poverty in Canada infographic
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The infographic states that roughly 1 in 7, or 14.6%, of Canadians were living in poverty in 2013. This amounts to 4.9 million Canadians, greater than the present day population of British Columbia. Rates of poverty, nationally, vary across cities and provinces. Cities with rates of poverty above the national average include Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Montreal. While the infographic does a great job at providing a macro-level geographical perspective, it’s important to have a discussion about what groups of people are over-represented among Canadians living in poverty.

Today, we will take a brief look at two of these groups: Aboriginal Peoples and women.

Aboriginal Peoples

The impact of colonization and widespread policies of assimilation continue to be felt by Aboriginal Peoples living in Canada today. Canadians are becoming more aware of the horrors of government-run residential schools, many of which engaged in the systematic mental and physical abuse of students. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has recorded over 6,000 deaths of residential school students. The odds of a child dying in a residential school have been reported to be 1 in 25, this rate is about the same as the one for Canadians dying during the Second World War.

A recent study showed that urban Aboriginal individuals are up to eight times more likely to experience homelessness compared to non-Aboriginal urban individuals. Experiencing homelessness can expose individuals to health risks that can have a long-term impact over the course of the lifespan. Another study, conducted in Vancouver in 2008 with street-involved youth, found that Aboriginal youth were more than two and a half times more likely to be infected with HIV than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. Today, there remains a lack of reliable homelessness statistics on Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. 

Women

Women are more likely to live in conditions of poverty than men. This is partially because of the role that cultural factors, in the form of gender roles, can play in determining what opportunities are available to women versus men. Women spend more time than men doing unpaid work; this includes childcare, housework and care for seniors. In order to balance their work and home responsibilities, some women have no choice but to choose employment that is precarious. These positions come with minimal control over working conditions, and tend to be part-time, seasonal, or operate on a contractual basis. The gender wage gap is another factor that contributes to increased rates of poverty among women compared to men.

Moving Forward

It is important to address the structural factors that result in poverty. While emergency services can help meet the needs of Canada’s poverty stricken population in the short-term, structural changes are needed to alleviate poverty. Knowledge mobilization can play a critical role in spreading awareness about the difficulties faced by Canadians living in poverty. Awareness can inform public opinion, and public opinion can help to influence government policy.