On 13 June 2016, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (hereafter referred to as “the Committee” or “HUMA”) adopted a motion to undertake a study of poverty reduction strategies in Canada. The motion stipulates that the study focus on four specific areas of intervention: federal income support and savings programs; the promotion of employment,[1] education and training; housing support; and broader community initiatives. The motion also requires that special attention be paid to vulnerable communities; gender differences; existing poverty reduction strategies in Canada; as well as innovative approaches to reducing poverty through collaboration between the various levels of government, social innovation, private sector and non-profit initiatives, and social financing.[2]

On 29 November 2016, the Committee adopted a motion to extend the scope of its study by including the theme of mental health, specifically in relation to the delivery of the federal government’s mental health programs and services as they pertain to poverty reduction. As indicated in this motion, the focus of this theme would be on innovative approaches as well as on vulnerable seniors and youth.[3]

The Committee was mindful that seven years had passed since it last studied the issue of poverty in Canada. The Committee’s 2010 report Federal Poverty Reduction Plan: Working in Partnership Towards Reducing Poverty in Canada, as some witnesses observed, was comprehensive and had significant portions that remain relevant today. However, the Committee’s objective in this study is to focus on current poverty reduction measures, to comment on what could be improved and to identify successful models and innovative practices that the government could consider for piloting, replication or expansion.[4]

The Committee held a total of 26 meetings on the topic of poverty reduction between 4 October 2016 and 10 March 2017, heard from 162 witnesses (listed in Appendix C), including 9 federal government departments and agencies, and received 74 written submissions (listed in Appendix D). In addition to public hearings in Ottawa, the Committee travelled across the country to hear from a variety of witnesses and conduct site visits in the cities of Saint John, New Brunswick; Toronto, Ontario; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Medicine Hat, Alberta; as well as Langley and Maple Ridge, British Columbia.

The Committee is deeply appreciative of the expertise and time provided by all the witnesses who presented, testified and made written submissions. The Committee is also thankful of the insights and personal experiences shared by the many individuals who welcomed committee members into their projects, shelters, transition houses, food banks, social enterprise hubs, businesses as well as early learning and child care facilities. The Committee listened to and carefully read the testimony placed before it and now reports on its findings.