A cross-country community advocacy group says while recent increases to the Canada child benefit program (CCB) are welcome, a more comprehensive program is needed to boost the growing number of children and families in deep poverty.
On Monday, changes to the child benefits program came into effect that could bring up to $165 dollars more per year to households in support for essentials per child.
N.W.T. MP Rebecca Alty said about 4,500 families across the N.W.T. rely on the program each year.
Campaign 2000, a coalition of more than 120 community organizations from across the country, examined child and family poverty using some of the latest data available. Each year, for more than 35 years they have collected data and analyzed patterns of poverty across the country.
Their report on child and family poverty released earlier this year, showed that child poverty rose for the third consecutive year.
“Using Canada’s official poverty line, 802,000 children (10.7%) live in poverty. Using a broader income measure with tax filing data, nearly 1.4 million children are living in poverty. Families with children in poverty are, on average, more than $15,000 below the poverty line.”
The researchers also pointed out that food insecurity is worsening, with 2.5 million children living in food-insecure households across the provinces and severe food insecurity doubling since 2019.
The report showed that a single parent with one child in the N.W.T., earns about $18,700 dollars per year on average.
To reach the poverty line, the single parent would need an additional $18,695, about two times their income, just to get to the poverty threshold.
In the N.W.T. if a household’s net income is above $30,000, children are eligible to get “part” of the benefit. Households with an adjusted family income reaching $80,000 are not eligible for the benefit.
In a public statement released Tuesday, leaders with the organization said bringing the program up to speed to meet inflation is one part of what’s needed.
“The Canada Child Benefit matters, and indexing it to inflation is necessary,” said Leila Sarangi, who is the National Director of Campaign 2000’s project to end child poverty.
“[A] modest annual adjustment will not reach families who are thousands of dollars below the poverty line. Child poverty has more than doubled since 2020 on Canada’s official measure, and too many children are being left in deep poverty. The federal government must strengthen the CCB with a targeted End Child Poverty Supplement so the children facing the greatest barriers get the income support they need now,” added Sarangi.
The organization’s research also looked at the impact of the CBD, which they noted was last indexed or increased about eight years ago.
According to the latest data available from 2023, the program prevented more than 580,000 children from falling into poverty.
The federal government program committed up to $8,157, per child (per year) under the age of 6 and up to $6,883 for children ages 6 to 17.
The benefit program was first introduced in about eight decades ago in July of 1945 and has previously been known as the “youth allowance” or “baby bonus.” Since that time it has been aimed at helping households manage “everyday expenses” such as groceries, clothing and childcare.
According to a message released by the federal government, the program supports about 3.6 million families caring for 6 million children. Annually, it is estimated the program delivers $30 billion in tax-free payments to households across the country.
While the program has helped support many children, findings from the data showed that the impact of child benefits have weakened over time due to inflation, high housing costs, food insecurity and inadequate income supports.
The findings of the report looked at how poverty affects children from diverse demographic groups within the population.
“Children and families experiencing the highest rates of poverty include lone-parent families, particularly those led by women; families that include people with disabilities; First Nations, Inuit and Métis children; racialized children; newcomer children; children in care; and families facing barriers to decent work, affordable housing and public services. These inequities are not inevitable; they are the result of policy choices and can be changed through sustained public investment,” said leaders with the organization in a formal public statement this week.
Organization leaders called on the federal government to restore and strengthen the “poverty-reduction power” of the CCB by introducing what they call the “End Child Poverty Supplement” which would be targeted to families in deep poverty. They said the supplement would build on the existing CCB platform and direct additional income support to the children and families who need it most.
“Canada has the tools to end child poverty,” said Sarangi.
“The evidence is clear: income transfers work when they are adequate, accessible and designed to reach those most excluded. Indexation protects the benefit from erosion, but ending child poverty requires a bolder commitment.”
 are welcome, a more comprehensive program is needed to boost the growing number of children and families in deep poverty.On Monday, changes to the child benefits program came into effect that could bring up to $165 dollars more per year to households in support for essentials per child.){kind=link}