Advocates can measure government action against its call for income security and social infrastructure.
by Ish Theilheimer
OTTAWA, March 12, 2009, HarperIndex.ca: The four parties of the House of Commons joined this week in a rare show of unity to support a House motion which urges world leaders to make a priority of fighting poverty.
NDP MP Tony Martin and Conservative Senator Hugh Segal took the initiative on the resolution, aimed at upcoming G8 and G20 meetings. The two spoke in New York at an anti-poverty conference and developed a joint strategy to move resolutions, in the Commons and Senate, urging that fighting poverty be made a priority in any future stimulus packages. They held a news conference today with Liberal MP Mike Savage and Bloc Québécois MP Josée Beaudin.
"What we are saying is we cannot afford NOT to do this in hard times," said Martin. "When you factor in the benefits of reducing poverty – more people included in good jobs, paying taxes, increasing productivity, this makes smart economic sense."
"It's great to talk about bailing out the banks... but what about average people?" asked Hugh Segal. "We know from the 1930s, if people don't engage and help the poor, where that can lead."
MP Tony Martin speaks to the all-party resolution: (3:29)
Hugh Segal speaks to the all-party resolution: (1:57)
Although the Parliamentarians touched on the kind of anti-poverty measures prominently absent from the Harper Conservatives' plan, they claimed their resolution is future-oriented and passes no comment on the 2009 federal budget.
"Obviously I support the budget," said Segal. "This talks about what's on the agenda at the G8 and the G20," and urges that "in the next round of short-term priorities, we should be looking at the poor."
Parliamentarians say the motion does not contradict the budget: (2:31)
The motion calls for world governments to work against poverty through "critical income security initiatives and social infrastructure investments." Although the framers say it is a non-partisan statement of ideals, opposition politicians should be able to use it as a yardstick against which to measure government actions and as a goad to push for more.
by Ish Theilheimer 
