More Federal Help Needed To Reduce Poverty: NWAC

More Federal Help Needed To Reduce Poverty: NWAC

Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at 16:17

The head of a national advocacy group is calling for immediate, concrete action to help pull Aboriginal women and children out of poverty.

Jeannette Corbiere Lavell is the president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada.

She says federal and provincial governments must work together to increase the standard of living for marginalized families.

This could include increasing both the National Child Benefit and the national minimum wage, making decent housing more affordable, and improving access to “culturally appropriate” childcare.

Corbiere Lavell says such help is what’s needed to reduce the rate of Aboriginal children living in low-income households — currently one in three — and stop the pattern of poverty from repeating indefinitely.

“Then we would have stronger families, and consequently, stronger communities. And ultimately, what we’re looking at is building stronger nations. I keep hearing our women and our grandmothers saying that we have to prepare for the next seven generations, and in order to be able to have good, strong communities and people, we need to start doing that right now,” she says.

Corbiere Lavell says her organization is working closely with federal officials on this issue, and she is optimistic that a plan will be coming soon.