NEWS: Invitation to participate in the National Advisory Council on Poverty’s 2022 engagement sessions

Hello,

 

In December, the National Advisory Council on Poverty (the Council) released our 2021 report, Understanding Systems. The good news is that the Government of Canada exceeded the interim goal of a 20% reduction in poverty by 2020 relative to 2015 levels. However, this reduction in poverty has not been equal. Many groups, including Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, racialized individuals and 2SLGBTQ persons continue to have higher rates of poverty, worsened by COVID-19. We know that more work will need to be done to create equitable systems for all and a Canada without poverty.

 

Grassroots and community organizations, advocates, and other poverty reduction experts were instrumental in shaping our previous reports. As we kick-start our 2022 engagement sessions, we would like to invite you to join in the conversation.

 

The Council has organized its first phase of engagement sessions around seven broad themes related to poverty in Canada. Each session will be held virtually over Zoom. The dates, times, themes and discussion questions for each session are as follows:

 

Session 1: The future of work: From precarity to security

Date and time: Tuesday, February 8, 2022, 1:00 to 2:30 PM, EST.

What can be done, and by whom, to promote and incentivize positive employment models that provide people with fair compensation, safe working conditions, benefits and job security, particularly for those most vulnerable to poverty?

 

Session 2: For communities, by communities: Grassroots responses to poverty

Date and time: Thursday, February 10, 2022, 1:00 to 2:30 PM, EST.

 

How can we elevate the voices of grassroots and community-based organizations that are influencing change from the ground-up? How can their innovative ideas, based on local experience, feed into policy creation and policy change?

 

Session 3: The poverty trap, chronic and transient poverty: vulnerabilities and opportunities throughout the life course

Date and time: Tuesday, February 15, 2022, 1:00 to 2:30 PM, EST

 

What are the vulnerabilities to poverty at each life stage (childhood, young adulthood, adulthood and older age)? What early and/or targeted interventions can we implement to prevent people from entering poverty in the first place?

 

Session 4: Transitions in and out of support systems: poverty prevention, early interventions, and targeted supports

Date and time: Thursday, February 17, 2022, 1:00 to 2:30 PM, EST.

 

What are the relationships and interactions between systems that support different life transitions (e.g., moving in and out of the child welfare system)? What are the gaps between these systems? How can we better support people during critical life transitions to prevent them from entering poverty?

 

Session 5: The future of health and poverty: Building resiliency, equity and justice

Date and time: Tuesday, February 22, 2022, 1:00 to 2:30 PM, EST.

 

How can we prevent the structural causes of poor health and better apply best practices and proven, evidence-based interventions in health care? What are the current gaps that leave people at risk for poorer outcomes (e.g., systemic discrimination in health care, unaffordable health-related costs, link between socio-economics and health), and how can we address them?

 

Session 6: Future proofing Canada’s social safety net

Date and time: Thursday, February 24, 2022, 1:00 to 2:30 PM, EST.

 

Which systems comprise Canada’s social safety net? Within these systems, how can we identify areas where proactive and upstream investments can help us prepare for and respond to future and emerging changes in Canadian society?

 

Session 7: Climate change and poverty: Addressing vulnerabilities, creating resiliency

Date and time: Tuesday, March 1, 2022, 1:00 to 2:30 PM, EST.

What early interventions can we implement to mitigate the impacts of climate change, including infrastructure decline, food insecurity and mass migration? How do we mitigate the disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable and marginalized populations? How can we examine climate change impacts and solutions from an Indigenous perspective?

 

To ensure everyone has the opportunity to contribute to the discussion, each session will have a limited number of participants. We kindly ask that you let us know which session(s) you would most like to attend.

 

Please RSVP through our Secretariat’s e-mail address at EDSC.CCNP-NACP.ESDC@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca for all sessions you wish to attend, no later than January 31, 2022. We strive to host inclusive events, so please share with us any accessibility needs when you respond. Shortly after receiving your RSVP, we will send you a calendar invite.

 

If you are unable to join us, but you would like to share your insights, please send an e-mail to the National Advisory Council on Poverty at the same address.

Scott MacAfee

Chairperson, National Advisory Council on Poverty | Président, Conseil consultatif national sur la pauvreté

scott.macafee@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

819-665-9872