Too many B.C. children living below poverty line
Prince George Citizen
November 26, 2008
Opinion By: Matt Pearce

On Friday the statistics on child poverty in Canada came out and once again for the fifth year running, B.C. was the worst in Canada.

Twenty-two per cent of our non-reserve children live below the poverty line as compared with the Canadian average of 16 per cent. This year's statistics reflect 2006 conditions when the economy was running hot, so we can expect similar if not worse numbers now.

Coincidentally, we dropped to last the year that our current provincial government took power and made sweeping cuts to all services to children, including child and family services and public education.

Why should we be concerned? Children living in poverty drop out of school much more often, get involved with the justice and correctional system earlier and have poorer health outcomes throughout their lives. In short, they cost our society many times more than reducing child poverty would cost us.

The current ideologically driven government policies such as keeping the minimum wage down and reducing social assistance is a bit like paying off the mortgage while letting the roof rot and the foundation fail. The nearly 200,000 children living in poverty now in B.C. could be part of our positive future if we chose elected officials who could see past the next financial report card.