Closing the Gap - First Nations want action on Poverty

First Nations people are just like you. Raising their families and living good, productive lives.

However, social conditions and economic circumstances continue to make First Nations people among the most marginalized citizens of Canada. The facts are staggering and are only getting worse.

Something needs to be done.

To see the full report  Closing the Gap 2011

During this election campaign, we feel it’s time that Canada’s parliamentarians commit to addressing First Nations poverty. Once elected, we urge them to take action.

We would like to see:

1. A First Minister’s Meeting on Aboriginal People with the goal of developing a comprehensive strategy to close the gap between First Nations people and all Canadians.
2. Budget provisions to increase support to First Nations families through investments to reduce child poverty, equalize education funding to be on-par with the provinces, address the housing deficit and homelessness, and include new employment programs including skills and training.
3. Resolution of long-standing issues with the First Nation’s labour force.

Vote to Make Poverty History

A federal election is a great opportunity to advance our campaign to make poverty history. Please help to make this an election that will make a difference.

We can greatly improve the chances of governments taking serious actions to make poverty history at home and abroad if we make poverty a key election issue. If we can use the election to secure commitments from party leaders on anti-poverty policies, it will be much easier to get them to keep these promises after an election. We need to show candidates that many voters care about poverty and want to know what candidates and parties will do to make poverty history.

That is why we have launched the Vote to Make Poverty History non-partisan, third party campaign with the following goals:

1. Make poverty an issue during the election campaign;
2. Get a significant number of candidates to endorse Make Poverty History’s campaign goals;
3. Secure a commitment from political parties on Make Poverty History goals in party platforms and leader’s statements;
4. Motivate voters to vote to make poverty history;
5. Help to create favourable conditions for realizing Make Poverty History goals after the election.