Do You Know About Poverty?
Make Poverty History Manitoba has a plan to help end poverty in Manitoba. Filmed on location in Winnipeg’s West End, with the help of West Central Women’s Resource Centre. Music by Chic Gamine. Thanks to UFCW 832, ChangeMakers, Manitoba Federation of Labour, Manitoba Government Employees Union, and all our partners. Produced and edited by Carole O’Brien.
KNOW POVERTY is a community campaign to put ending poverty at the top of the agenda in the April 19, 2016 Manitoba General Election. We are asking political parties to commit to policies to address poverty in their campaign platforms. We are asking voters to ask candidates and parties what they will do to end poverty and make poverty a key voting issue.
Ask your candidates: what is your plan to end poverty?
We have developed a list of 6 key priorities we would like parties to support. These were based on broad community consultations. These key policies will have the greatest impact on both addressing the depth of poverty, and in affecting the widest number of people experiencing poverty.
- Minimum Wage: Raise the minimum wage to a poverty line wage of $15.53 per hour
- Social Housing: Build at least 300 new social housing units annually for five years
- Welfare Rate: Double the basic needs allowance for Employment and Income Assistance recipients
- Child Care: Create at least 12,000 subsidized childcare spaces with priority in low-income neighbourhoods
- Mental Health: Double the funding allotted to community-based mental health services for low income Manitobans.
- Target and Timeline: Develop a comprehensive poverty reduction plan including targets &timelines to reduce poverty
More information about these priorities are available as one page backgrounders by clicking to each item.
We are seeking organizational endorsements for our campaign. Already over 60 organizations have endorsed these priorities. Add your organization’s name by sending an email (subject: 2016 Campaign Endorsement) to manitoba@makepovertyhistory.ca
Between now and the election, we will be organizing educational materials and events to raise further awareness about poverty and these issues. If you would like to donate to the campaign, or if your group would like to find out more about endorsing the campaign, please contact: Manitoba@makepovertyhistory.com.
