According to the federal government Canada is a human rights leader, but this status was openly questioned at the Human Rights Council last week in Geneva. Under review for the second time as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, Canada found itself facing recommendations to step up its...

From personal attacks to commendable recommendations -- this is the legacy of a UN final report on the right to food in Canada. Prepared Olivier De Schutter, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, following his mission to Canada last May, the report illustrates that...

A national conversation on housing is underway. This is, in part, thanks to the federal Bill C-400 calling for a national housing strategy, which was debated at second reading in the House of Commons last week. Canada currently has no such strategy and no coherent plan to address...

It may only take two days to begin to change the world. Computer hackers are dedicating a weekend in December to social change. Random Hacks of Kindness (RHoK) is an event where technical talent and good intentions converge.

This year, for the first time, RHoK is coming to Vancouver...

On October 17, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, two women joined Dignity for All: the campaign for a poverty-free Canada and the federal All-Party Anti-Poverty Caucus to discuss solutions to poverty. The women, who have a lived experience of poverty, spoke to a group of...

A report released today by the Ontario Common Front, a coalition of over 90 groups and organizations, states that Ontario is dead last in terms of growing poverty rates, rising inequality and spending on public services.

While Ontario established a poverty action plan in 2009, there has...

The general buzz of activity on Parliament Hill may be in summer hibernation, but the effects of the last session are reverberating through the provinces. Premiers from all 13 provinces and territories are gathering in Halifax July 25-27 for the annual Council of the Federation meeting and will likely be...

Poverty costs society in terms of lost human capital and money spent on health care, criminal justice systems, and other social services. It is also a violation of economic and social rights and is an affront to dignity. Change requires action, and last week members of the federal government came...

It's a big week for food security in Canada -- not only did Food Banks Canada launch their annual Hunger Awareness Week, but the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food arrived as well. Both events highlight the growing problem of hunger in Canada and help...

The shock of the 2012 federal budget is just setting in, but the repercussions will be felt for years to come. Although deemed "moderate," this budget has cut thousands of jobs and left a scar on our social welfare system. A particularly unsettling decision was to dismantle the National Council...

Imagine a Canada with a publicly funded childcare system, accessible support for students facing rising post-secondary tuition, a prescription drug program and affordable housing for everyone. Reducing poverty, protecting retirement programs and creating new jobs are goals shared by many Canadians, but unfortunately the 2012 federal budget ignores the need...

Today the premiers meet with the federal government to discuss the future of the Canada Health Transfer (CHT) and Canada Social Transfer (CST) which support provincial health and social systems.

The transfers are critical funding streams that can improve the dismal welfare rates, long hospital wait times, and limited...

Recent images of the northern Ontario First Nation community in Attawapiskat illustrated the shocking reality that there are Canadians living in decrepit housing. However, while ramshackle housing is common in many Aboriginal communities, the crisis embodied by Attawapiskat is not isolated to the Aboriginal demographic, nor to remote communities.