A promise broken

This November marks 36 years since this promise was made.

“Mr. Broadbent, seconded by Mr. Riis moved-- that this House expressed its concern for more then one million Canadian children living in poverty and seek to achieve the goal of eliminating poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000”

—House of Commons, November 24th,1989

What do youth say a promise is ?

If children understand what a promise is, and the importance of it, why can't adults?

Is this what keeping a Promise looks like?

What is Canada doing to move towards a future where poverty is a thing of the past??

Escaping poverty means the ability to LIVE not just survive.

Opportunity for all Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy

Human Rights and Poverty

When individuals are living in poverty, they have a lack of basic human rights. The United Nations National Declaration on Human Rights states there are three basic needs that every human being should have regardless of where they live their cultural background or any other underlying factors.

Article 25 of the Decleration of Human Rights

"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control."

Basic Human Rights

Every human being is entitled to the basic human rights as proclaimed by the United Nations. However, the question remains; does everyone truly grasp what it means to have these basic human rights and what these basic human rights are.

If we did understand what these basic human rights are as stated in Ending Homelessness in Canada: The Case for Homelessness Prevention would it be that "35% of Canadians have experienced homelessness or know someone who has having access to housing is a basic human right" (Hughes, 2024)

On May 8th at 2:06 PM the live population tracker on Statistics Canada stated that there was 41,643,909 individuals at that moment in Canada 35% of those individuals have either experienced homelessness themselves or know someone who has as stated by (Huges,2024)

which is 14,575,368

How many people without basic human rights in Canada is to many? Why is 14 million not enough to signify the need for action.

Are children's rights being met?

What is it?

Adopted in 1989 the convention of the rights of a child The Convention "indicates in an unequivocal manner that children's rights are human rights. They are not special rights: they are simply the fundamental rights inherent to the human dignity of every person"(United Nations,1990)