Workings of our economy
create poverty, study shows

By JIM LEECH

“One Canadian in four is a
member of a family unit whose
income is below the poverty
line,” said the Canadian Special
Senate Committee on Poverty in
1971, after three years of study.

Concerned Canadians, includ-
ing many poor people themselves
have begun to form associations
to change that situation.

“More than half of all low-
income families (54%) live in
either Quebec or Ontario,” the
Committee’s report said, after
members had travelled from
Newfoundland to Vancouver,
and north to the Yukon.

Out of that reality in Ontario,
grew the Ontario Anti-Poverty
Organization, which participat-
ed in a National Poor People’s
Conference in Jan. 1971, and is
spearheading preparations — al-
lied with other organizations —
for an Ontario Anti-Poverty
Conference just a month from
now.

The Working Poor

The organizers have a sound
base for their decision. The Sen-
ate fact-finders revealed that,

“Nearly two thirds, or 63%, of
low-income family heads are
members of the labor force.”

With this as its backdrop
came Prime Minister Trudeau’s
New Year message — by which
time conditions had worsened.

“We are able to consider how
fortunate we are to live in a
country which protects the fam-
ily unit as a very precious ele-
ment .. .” the PM said, declar-
ing “that here there is room and
opportunity for everyone to pur-
sue his own dream .. . the free-
doms which we enjoy as an auto-
matic part of our heritage, the
peacefulness which is ours in
our homes... .”

In our homes? But listen...

“In one of these one-and-a-
half storey houses in ‘Stove-Pipe
Town’ (again the home of a sole-
support mother and her family)
we noticed a hole in the floor
of the attic where the children
slept. The hole was near the
stovepipe and we were told that
recently the youngest child
(about two) had fallen through
it, onto the kitchen stove in the
room below. There was no fire

elimination of poverty.

Feb. 17 and 18.

to contribute to overall costs.

as possible.

Anti-poverty meet Feb. 16-18

The Ontario Anti-Poverty Conference will be held on Feb.
16-18 at the Lord Simcoe Hotel in Toronto.

This is not a “Poor Peoples Conference,” but a conference
being planned and organized by a coalition of deeply con-
cerned citizens throughout the province whose goal is the

Friday, Feb. 16 will be devoted to the annual meeting of
the Ontario Anti-Poverty Organization, which has been
delegated to coordinate conference activities. The agenda
includes a resume of the past year’s activities, reports from
provincial regions, election of OAPO's Executive and Coun-
cil, and planning for OAPO participation in the conference

On Feb. 17 and 18 delegates will participate in workshops
and plenary sessions towards the achievement of an anti-
poverty program. Working papers will be forwarded to all
delegates prior to the conference.

The Ontario government has allocated $12,000 towards
transportation and accommodation of low-income delegates.
This $12,000 does not cover the conference costs. The plan-
ning committee is asking all organizations, where possible,

The planning committee has set Feb. 2 as the deadline
for registration, so please mail in your registration as soon

For additional information, registration forms, or any
donations which you may want to contribute the address is
Ontario Anti-Poverty Conference,
Toronto 269,

1905 Danforth Ave,

in the stove at the time but the
same thing could have happened
if there had been a fire. Surely
this is not providing properly
for the well-being of a family
which is in want, due to circum-
stances beyond their control.”

That paragraph is from a
speech, Oct. 21, 1972, by Richard
L. M. Lord, staff member of
the Senate Committee on Pover-
ty. He said further:

18th Century Myths

“During the hearings of the
Senate Committee on Poverty
and during my travels through-
out Canada I learned about and
saw things I never dreamt exist-
ed in this country. I learned too
that many other beliefs which I
held and which I presume were
also held by most of the mem-
bers of the Committee as well
aS many people in Canada, were
simply not true; that, in fact,
they are myths left over from
the 18th century.

“These are the myths which
have been created and nourished
by the mass media, the churches,
church leaders, fraternal organi-
zations and other moulders of
public opinion. I am asking now
for their assistance in changing
the attitudes of Canadians con-
cerning the poor and in debunk-
ing the myths on which these
attitudes and prejudices are
based: the myth of equal oppor-
tunity for all; the myth that. it
is a person’s own fault to be

‘poor; the myth that economic

growth is the answer.

“We know now that poverty
is produced by the.way our eco-
nomy operates. The truth is that,
with the growth of automation,
more jobs are being performed
by fewer people all the time, and
the need for labor, either skilled
or unskilled, is growing less all
the time. In the 1960s we had
tremendous economic growth.
Although the well-to-do became
better off, the number of poor
did not decrease, and the gap
between the two groups became
wider.”

Poor Pay More Tax

Even that growing section of
Canadians which voices the de-
mand for full employment may
not have considered the plight
of the working poor. To quote
Mr. Lord once more. . .

“Economic growth may pro-
vide more jobs. Indeed it will.
But look at the evidence again.
In the past it has not been the
poor but the middle and upper
class workers who _ benefited
from economic growth. Such
growth will not in itself elimi-
nate poverty. The myth that our
burden is equal is demonstrably
false; those earning less than
$2,000 pay out 60% of their in-
comes _in taxes as compared
with 37% to 38% for those with
incomes over $10,000 (W. Irwin
Gillespie, Royal Comm. on Taxa-
tion 1966) .

“The myth that our tax struc-
ture redistributes income and
wealth is also false. The myth
that the poor do not want to
work also needs closer study:
some 600,000 working poor who
would be better off on welfare,
give the lie to that statement.
The myth that the poor are chis-
elers — we found that the per-
centage of welfare recipients
who abuse the system is never
more than 5%, more often closer
to 1%. What other groups in our
society are in a position to-point

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Poverty is world-wide and
many sided. In Canada, as Mr.
Lord expressed it, “poverty is
produced by the way our eco-
nomy operates.”

This is one of the concepts
which will have to be faced by
the Ontario Anti-Poverty Confer-
ence, Feb. 16-18 in Toronto,
which will bring together 900
delegates from across the prov-
ince, charged with assembling
“the maximum amount of experi-
ence, knowledge and expertise
possible to formulate a Strategy
for Action program. The program
is to be “geared to the elimina-
tion of poverty and to the pro-
vision of that quality of life
deemed the right of all Cana-
dians.”

One-third of the delegates will
represent the low-income sector,
with the balance representing
organized labor, churches, pro-
fessions, and business and mid-
dle-income groups.

“We stress,” says provincial
co-ordinator Mike Carson, on

Planning
committee

The Planning Committee for
the Ontario Anti - Poverty
Conference has the following
members;

Mrs. Judy Anttila, Research
Consultant; Matt Broadfoot,
co-chairman, OAPC Planning
Committee; member, National
Executive Board, United Elec-
trical Workers; Norman Bru-
dy, co-chairman, OAPC Plan-
ning Committee; executive
member, OAPO, Canadian
Tribune Business Manager;
Mike Carson, chairman, pro-
Vincial coordinator, OAPO, co-
ordinator, OAPC; Robert
Craigs, director of social ser-
vices, OFL; Rev. A. R. (Bob)
Cuyler, coordinator of Dio-
ces2n services, Anglican Dio-
cese of Toronto; Rev. Eilert
Frerichs, United Church chap-
lain, University of Toronto,
executive member, Confeder-
ation of Resident and Rate-
Payer Associations (CORRA);
Mrs. Donna Gamble, executive
member, OAP O, executive
member, Ontario Housing
Tenants Association; member,
Ontario Advisory Task Force
on Housing Policy; George
Harrison, vice-president,
Teamsters Joint Council No.
52, Toronto; Ernest H. Hol-
well, executive member, Met-
ro Tenants Association; civil
engineer; Rev. A. G. A. (Arch)
McCurdy, co-chairman, Cana-
dian Coalition for: Develop-
ment; former associate secre-
tery, Board of Evangelism
and Social Service, United
Church of Canada; Rev. Rob-
ert Warden, Roman Catholic
Diocese, Windsor, chairman,

opment. ‘

Windsor Coalition for Devel?!

hy

behalf of the Conference w
ning Committee, “that this ®
a poor people’s conferenc&
a conference being planned,
organized by a coalition of oF
ly concerned citizens tht®
out the province whose 8%
the elimination of poverty. |
An important ingredief
Conference preparations zi
strong representation of #@ ‘
The trade union mover
which is, every day, on the i,
line in defense of the standt
of life of its members, has!)
its power to play a libera,
role among families beloW
poverty line. y
The Planning Committeé
welcomed the Ontario Fe,
tion of Labor’s particiP
through its |social and W&%
director, Robert Craigs. |

United Auto Workers unid?)

taking part and will finance
well a low income delet
Both the United Electrical 1
ers’ and Teamsters’ unions
also participants.

Guaranteed Annual Inco?

As these preparations 8? a
ward, attention should be a
again to the Senate Commit
recommendations—one of ;
is a guaranteed annual ine
It proposes this be implen
ed in the form of a nee)
income tax. “Payments %
vary by family size and neé al
would establish a ‘floor if
below which no_ family |
would be permitted to fall. the
And Mr. Lord observes: ~ |
would be substantial savile y
the cost of administration "a
guaranteed annual incomé
prox. 40% to 50%) as comPig
to the present welfare sys
The Senate Committee
recommendations on health ©
housing, consumer credit, a
services and day care corm
Two of its proposals SU mai
a longer view, a gradual t¥
of the tide of poverty. iff
“Manpower training in 144
labor force terms,” needs © |
changed “‘to a broad policy of
to a service to individua’ rf
zens in terms of their parte,
needs for academic up-Bt il
occupational training, m2? 4
assistance and job placeme?y
Elsewhere the report faq
mends a National Office of f
cation, not interfering with}
vincial rights, but undertagl
research, a national educdir,
information and datas tt
making new _ apprasadvan-
teaching among thith com:
taged, in cooperatétions,
munities and or’fal govern: |
Obviously t“! substantive
ment has b* *! It-and the ©
recommen, ane to
provincg 4 nD Confer-
movey ariel: Ontario one

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