The number of people relying on food banks has doubled since
1989, growing to about 670,000 from 330,000. The executive
director of the Canadian Association of Food Banks, Julia Bass,
pointed out on December 5 that the increase is due to the
elimination of national standards and funding.
Since the federal Liberals eliminated the Canada Assistance
Act in 1995 which set national welfare standards, and cut
transfer payments to the provinces by almost $7 billion,
provincial governments have passed legislation and/or implemented
measures which target welfare recipients for attack. Loren Freid,
executive director of the North York Harvest Food Bank pointed to
the example of the Harris government which has cut welfare
payments by 22 percent. "Punitive policies like workfare and
fingerprinting welfare recipients caused by Mr. Martin's
elimination of national welfare standards create a public
impression and attitude that there is something illegitimate
about simply being poor and simply helping those who are poor,"
Freid said. She pointed out that donations to food banks have
concurrently fallen by 25 percent.
Organizations which provide food for the poor through food
banks are demanding that the federal government reinstate
national standards to require the provinces to provide adequate
aid to the poor. Sue Cox, executive director of the Daily Bread
Food Bank, called on the First Ministers to endorse poverty
reduction targets, like the targets Federal Finance Minister Paul
Martin employed to cut the deficit. However, Intergovernmental
Affairs Minister Stephane Dion made it clear that there was no
way the government would do this. He diverted the issue by
promoting "cooperative federalism" as if its aim is to get
results. "We need to work with the provinces," Dion said. "What
is the use of national standards if it's not something that is
supported?"
The point is that the excuse of "working with the provinces"
is precisely the means being used to abolish national standards
so as to open the door to the privatization of all social -
programs.
TML Daily, 12/9/97
Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
