Child Poverty

Twenty years ago Canadian politicians pledged to eradicate child poverty, but today an abysmal one in ten kids in this country is growing up poor. We look at the consequences of that poverty and what needs to be done.

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Part Two of The Current

Child Poverty - Clyde Hertzman

One in ten kids in Canada are poor. That's 639-thousand children coming to school without breakfast, wearing last year's snow boots that no longer fit... unable to learn the piano or play on a hockey team. Campaign 2000 is a national advocacy group that tracks child poverty.

In its latest report, out last week, the group found little has been achieved since the government pledged to end child poverty over two decades ago. The report notes that while the Canadian economy had doubled over the last 10 years... the incomes of the country's poorest families has stayed the same.

British Columbia has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the country: 16-point-4 percent. Some of those kids are in Carrie Gelson's class at Seymour elementary in Vancouver. We heard from Carrie Gelson.

Carrie Gelson isn't the only one worried. The consequences of poverty can last a lifetime according to my our guest. Clyde Hertzman is Canada Research Chair in Population Health and Human Development at the University of British Columbia. He is also director of the Human Early Learning Partnership. He was is in Vancouver.

We also heard from Tristan Vander, a mother of three in Victoria.

Child Poverty - Gary Evans

Gary Evans is a professor at Cornell University's College of Human Ecology. His research is focused on how children's socioemotional and cognitive development is affected by the environment, especially an environment of poverty. Gary Evans was at the Cornell radio studio in Ithaca, New York.

Child Poverty - Kerry McCuaig

Kerry McCuaig is our next guest and she says it's about time for policy to catch up to the research. She is a research Fellow with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.

If you have stories of growing up poor, or being a parent who's struggling to make ends meet, please tell us about your experience. Contact Us.

Related Links:

• Poverty Goes Straight to the Brain By: Brandon Keim - Wired
• Not on the backs of children By: Kerry McCuaig - The Toronto Star
• Report suggests kids start school earlier By: Teresa Smith - Postmedia News