...Poverty increasing rates during the last 10 years have been an issue in Canada in general, and a huge one for aboriginal communities on the reservations and in their territories. This is brought to mind because of a recent surge in suicide attempts in the Cree community which has drown a national attention to the effects of poor living conditions on First Nation's children. The reality is that these children live in poverty, and the situation is getting worse. The most recent available data from the national household survey was last updated back in 2011, and it shows that child poverty rates in aboriginal communities living on the reserves rose to staggering 60% in 2010 (MacDonald, Wilson. 4) The indigenous child poverty at the reservations is structural and systematic: it reveals a history of racism that goes back to the time of colonization. Canada's long history of residential schools and the under-funding of basic services on reserves have left aboriginal communities experiencing living conditions many would expect to see only in developing countries, not in a rich nation such as Canada. Too many aboriginal children live in abject poverty, and in many cases, without hope of improved prospects in the future....
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...Family and child poverty in Canada By Maram Ghadban June 7th 2013 Canada is notorious for being a country of freedom, democracy and diversity. These are our crowning glories that as Canadians, we take pride in. The issues faced by Canadians are not seen or noticed by others. They are invisible. The fabrication of Canada being a country of opportunity is a false attribute to this greatness. The poverty in Canada has increased rather than decreased (Finnie and Sweetman, 2003). It is sufficient to say that Canada, and Ontario in specific, are better off than other countries and provinces. However, this is not the matter at hand; the matter is that the people of Ontario are in a state of poverty. Through this I will discuss the matters of poverty, its effects on family and child poverty in Ontario, and its effects on ethnic minorities. It is creating a vicious cycle that will forever more haunt these children and create discourses that will affect them as they get older. This is a national problem, and is a linchpin for bigger conflicts within this nation, if it is not solved. List of references Ahmed, Zahid Shahab, “Poverty, Family Stress & Parenting” http://www.humiliationstudies.org/documents/AhmedPovertyFamilyStressParenting.pdf, 2005 Covell, Katherine and Howe, R. Brian, “Child Poverty in Canada and the Rights of the Child, Source: Human Rights Quarterly”, Vol. 25, No. 4, Nov., 2003 Charles Michalopoulos and Philip K. Robins “Employment and Child-Care Choices...
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...When thinking of Canada, poverty seldom comes to the forefront of the mind. Indeed, the United Nation’s annual Human Development Report—which ranks countries by quality of living conditions—designated Canada as tenth place out of nearly two hundred countries (2016). However, this does not mean that poverty is not a problem—it simply indicates that Canada fares better in comparison to most other countries. More extreme forms of absolute poverty—referring to the lack of basic needs such as food, shelter, and water—may be absent or minimal, but relative poverty still exists as a serious issue, as it reveals the disparities between various incomes of citizens. In essence, while an entire population may see a rise in their incomes due to their society...
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...In a country as wealthy as Canada, close to one million people continue to rely on food banks to provide themselves with basic necessities each month. Food Banks are used by a wide variety of people within Canada, ranging from children and families, to single people, to even individuals who are employed. People tend to use food banks because they are not able to maintain a healthy lifestyle on their own. Whether it is because of economic, social, or cultural reasons, many people have no other option but to do so. I have determined that the main cause of an increase in food bank usage in Canada is poverty. Within Canada, poverty has been an ever-present issue for many years. Although Canada is rated eighth on the Human Development Index, there continues to be a growing number of impoverished people. Individuals who are not able to provide themselves with the basic necessities of life are at an incredible disadvantage when it comes to maintaining their health and well-being. They can be exposed to many illnesses and life threats because they are not able to provide themselves with the resources needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Things such as food, shelter, and warmth all become optional for an individual living in poverty as they have little opportunity to better their life or living situations. Factors such as housing, education, employment, and environment are all equally important in determining an individuals economic standing. Specific groups such as Aboriginals can...
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...Poverty and Family: A threat to Marriage and Family happiness Poverty is one of the many factors contributing to severe problems faced by the world today. Causes of poverty are diverse but unemployment and wages below minimum are the most commonly known causes of poverty. It is unfortunate that some people inherit poverty, thus people born in particular social groups defined by race or location where poverty is prominent. Poverty is occurs on many levels and its effects are not only detrimental to individual families but to society as a whole. The effects of poverty on families are beyond measure. Noticeable effects of poverty on families include stress on bread-winners of the family and on children. Disease and inadequate parenting which is associated with numerous problems are also effects poverty noticeable in our everyday communities. Parents living under poverty conditions find it very hard to provide the basic needs such clothing, shelter and food needed for a decent living,” about 330,000 people, roughly the population of Windsor, turn to food banks every month in Ontario” (Par Health Nexus Santé). Economic hardships cause parents to think too much as they try to figure out possible ways of getting off their financial mess resulting in extensive stress. Anxiety and frustration due to failure to provide generates a sense of less self-worthy and causes sleepless nights to parents. Adults who find it difficult to bear the thought of failing to provide for their families...
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...studying poverty is the number of children who are suffering under circumstances they have no control over. As far as developed nations go, America has not been doing well at keeping their youth from struggling under the poverty line. Nearly one out of five (17%) children in America live in poverty, and that must be taken with a grain of salt as the actual numbers could be even worse. Jeff Madrick writes in his article Handouts Are Often Better Than a Hand Up on the issue and what needs to be done to fix this ongoing problem. There are a plethora of serious matters that revolve around children being raised in poverty including unhealthy diets, overwhelming amounts of stress, decrease in self-worth, and consistently lower IQs than children living above the poverty line. Madrick mentions two welfare programs that were created in the 90’s to help pull children out of poverty. The first was the Aid for Families With...
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...Introduction: In Canada, for many years there has been growing concern and controversy about the over-representation of Aboriginals within the Criminal Justice System, a considerable problem that has been found to be more even extreme with Aboriginals female offenders. For Aboriginal women the rates of incarceration are particularly disturbing. Aboriginal women are over-represented in the federal prison system. They represent only 4% of the women in Canada yet account for 32% of the women in federal prisons. The number of Aboriginal women federally incarcerated has increased by 151% between 1997 and 2006 (Elizabeth Fry Society, 4). Aboriginal women are not only disproportionately over-represented but also the fastest growing population sentenced to federal prisons. The over-representation is even more pronounced in terms of Aboriginal women incarceration rates: As of April 2010, Aboriginal women accounted for 32.6% of the total female offender population (SOURCE 5). This means that one out of every three women federally incarcerated is of Aboriginal descent (Correctional Service Canada, 2009/2010, at 18). Furthermore they are over-represented in the maximum security prison population, making up 45% of the maximum security federally sentenced women, 44% of the medium security population and 18% of minimum security women in 2006 (Elizabeth Fry Society, 4). The justice system has played a major role in the creation of poor social conditions in Aboriginal communities today...
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...I - INTRODUCTION: Historically, the American political system exists to govern and protect the social welfare of the people. Through the electoral process, governmental officials are chosen. The bureaucratic officials are influenced by four basic ideologies which guides their decision making process. Conservative, Libertarian, Liberal, and Radical are the four ideologies in question. Firstly, I will define the four political ideologies. Secondly, I will apply my definitions to a single example. Third, I will analyze the Harlem Project from a liberal and radical ideology’s perspective. Next, my analysis will be of the federal and local government, of the causes of the problem, of the strategies taken to solve the problem, and the core values that underpin the solution. Finally, I will incorporate systems terminology and apply systems concepts. II.- DEFINITIONS All four ideologies listed in this paper present a different view; however, several of them share overlapping similarities. People identifying with the conservative ideology believe in maintaining things, as they currently exist, personal responsibility, hard work, preserving tradition, moral values, and social stratification. Conservative officials focus on preserving conservative platforms and eliminating reforms established during periods of other ideological power. This group deduces that each individual should be responsible for gaining their own wealth through hard work and perseverance. The conservative...
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...Canada, by international standards is a rich country; however, Canada has plenty of families struggling to make ends meet. It can be seen in “The Health of Canada’s Children” by Dennis Raphael, (2010) many social determinants influence health. One of the major determinants of health is living circumstances. The many different qualities of living within Canada have resulted in the health inequalities among children. This article in particular gives the reader the information needed to understand how living circumstances come about as well as how they affect health. Infant mortality rate or the number of newborns who die within their first year of life is considered to be one of the best ways to judge how healthy a population is. Low birth weight is also very important because it is affiliated with a wide range of health problems throughout a person’s lifespan. While there are many circumstances that play a role in infant mortality and low birth weight, a major component is living conditions the expected mothers are exposed to. This can be linked to the financial status of the parents. In Canada, the infant mortality rate is 60% higher and the low birth rate is 43% higher in the poorest income quintile than the richest quintile (Raphael, 2010). The effects of income on health are best portrayed by the living conditions to which children are exposed to. Income not only has a direct relationship with children’s health but various developmental outcomes as well. Income is a...
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...weakness and cannot anticipate discussion | Issues: | Communication (well versed in topic)/10 | Extremely versed in topic and able to articulate thesis and arguments confidently | Well versed in topic and able to articulate thesis and arguments in a considerable manner | Somewhat versed in topic and able to articulate thesis and arguments in a moderate manner | Has difficulty understanding topic and articulating thesis and arguments | Issues: | Overall Achievement: __________ Comments: THESIS Poverty is affecting thousnds of citizens today, however racialized communities face a disproportionate risk of being affected by it because they are assigned to less desirable position in job duties. ARGUMENT #1 With the ongoing increasing rates of povery in Toronto, the racialized communites are more affected regarding health problems and all the other factors making them more vulnerable to different factors and situations. EVIDENCE | ANALYSIS | 1)The original poverty measures were (and still are) based largely on the food costs of the 1950s. But while food costs have doubled since 1978, housing has more than tripled, medical...
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...More children are living below the poverty line in America today than when the war on poverty began almost fifty years ago. Despite consistent efforts by the government, nonprofit organizations, and the people themselves, poverty rates in 2012 are very similar to the early 1960s. Social security and Medicaid have reduced the number of seniors living in poverty, but the plight of children has worsened. Several factors have contributed to this problem. As measured by inflation adjusted dollars, wages of low-skill jobs have declined. The number of families headed by unmarried mothers has risen, and large numbers of immigrants with little education have entered the U.S. The combination of these factors have resulted in approximately 20% of our country’s children living in poverty, which is 50% higher than 1969. Historically, the foundational basis for lifting the disenfranchised out of poverty is education. One of the first steps of the civil rights movement was a grassroots movement educating the poor and disenfranchised to a level of literacy that would enable them to register to vote. This strategy was led by Stephen Currier and his wife, Audrey Bruce, the granddaughter of Andrew Mellon, during the early 1960s. Their Taconic Foundation brought the leading civil rights groups together with other foundations including the Stern, Rockefeller, and Norman foundations. The funding to civil rights advocacy associations was matched with volunteers throughout the South who tutored...
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...income. In Canada, the welfare system is a multi billion dollar government system that transfers money and services to Canadians that deal with many needs such as poverty, homelessness, unemployment, immigration, aging, illness, workplace injury, disability, and the needs of children, women, gay, lesbian, and transgendered people. The major welfare system programs include Social Assistance, the Canada Child Tax Benefit, Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement, Employment Insurance, the Canada and Quebec Pension Plan, Workers’ Compensation, public education, medicare, social housing and social services. Programs are funded and delivered by the federal, provincial and municipal governments. While most applicants should view the program as a temporary bridge to uplift themselves through their lives, and for some applicants it may be a long term requirement that may be needed throughout their lives. When applying for these resources its important when putting information such as income and assets in a truthfully way such as marriage states or legal name upfront. Following the approach of their provincial or territorial counterpart, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) has adopted similar terms and conditions of social assistance programs. Funding for social assistance activities is provided by INAC to First Nations communities, who in turn deliver programs and services to community members. A Brief History of Federal Social Assistance: 1966 - Canada Assistance...
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...Socioeconomic Status and Food-Insecurity in Single-Mother-Families Rana Hassan & Douaa Mostafa Shopping List Project, Highway to Health 2000A Tuesday, November 18th , 2014 Introduction: In Canada, women’s health is affected by several social, economic and physical determinants. Single mothers are women, who are single, divorced, widowed or separated and care for one or more child with no assistance from a spouse. Single-mother families constitute 13% of Canadian families and they are more likely to experience a lower quality of life compared to families with two parents [3]. Also, poverty rates among families led by single mothers remain unacceptably high compared to the other demographic groups [3]. In 1999, poverty rate in single mothers was 51.8%, which is five-fold greater than the poverty rate among two-parent families (10.4%) [2]. Despite Canada’s efforts to reduce poverty among single-mother-families, the percentage of poor children living with their mothers continued to grow substantially over the last two decades [3]. Many studies conducted in Canada and the United States demonstrate that single mothers are significantly more likely to be young (less than 25 years of age), generally unhealthy, on welfare and poorly educated [9]. Also, single mothers tend to have higher rates of unemployment due to their deteriorating health states and their lower educational backgrounds [9]. The financial situation of a single-mother-family is worsened by additional children...
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...Child Poverty When thinking of poverty we always think of third world countries such as countries like Haiti and Kenya, but many do not know that we actually have many children in Toronto who are suffering in poverty. Studies have shown that 29 percent of children, almost 149,000, live in low-income families. But for the last 2 years the numbers increased. In fact, among the major cities in Canada, Toronto is tied with St. John, N.B. having the highest poverty rate. There are many risk factors that a child might be living in poverty. Statistics show that children are in risk of poverty if no one in their family works, but a large number of children are living in families where at least one person has a job. Other reasons why they might live in poverty are if they are living in large families. Large families can often struggle by paying the cost of many things and to easily go into debt. Even if a child’s parent gets paid higher than minimum wage they may not be able to pay their living expenses because of so many family members. Other things parents need to pay for might include school uniform and equipment for their children. Also, having a disabled family member whether being an adult or child can lead to poverty. If a child is disabled, the parents will need to accompany the child as much as possible which can lead to them losing their job. If an adult is disabled, it is very hard for them to look for a job so it will be very hard to support the family. There are...
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...Child poverty is an extremely saddening issue, and I found the statistics given in our textbook as well as the websites to be utterly horrifying. I found it shocking how much childhood poverty is evident in the United States as compared to other countries. As one of the most powerful and wealthiest countries on earth, it would only make sense that we have some of the lowest poverty rates in the world; however, that is sadly not the case. Out of 35 countries surveyed by UNICEF, "The United States ranks 34th of the 35 countries surveyed, above only Romania and below virtually all of Europe plus Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan" (Fisher, 2013). The fact that the United States has such a high percentage of child poverty is abhorrent, to...
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