A recent report on child poverty in Canada shows the problem is at its worst on First Nations reserves.
Marilyn LeFrank, director of child and family Services for the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of P.E.I., says the federal government needs to provide more support for social services on reserves. (Mi’kmaq Confederacy of P.E.I.)
The report by Campaign 2000 shows while one child in seven in Canada lives in poverty, on reserves that number is one in two. The Mi’kmaq Confederacy of P.E.I. says that includes First Nations communities on the Island.
“There’s not enough food on the table,” said Marilyn LeFrank, head of the confederacy’s child and family services.
“Parents aren’t able to get to work because of barriers that are related to accessing employment,”
The confederacy places the blame on the federal government. Social services and education on reserves are paid for by Ottawa, not the province. For 18 years federal funding has been capped at a two per cent increase per year, while the P.E.I. government has increased some of its funding for social services at more than three per cent.
What can be done about child poverty on Native reserves?
The federal government says it wants to increase funding by 4.5 per cent per year and create a new set of rules for on-reserve educational policies. But the government failed to reach an agreement with chiefs to implement that deal.
The report also found one in three First Nations children off reserve lives in poverty. Those children rely on provincial government services for help, and the Native Council of P.E.I. says more needs to be done to help them too.
Last month marked the 25th anniversary of MPs in the House of Commons voting unanimously in support of a motion to end child poverty in Canada.
For mobile device users: What can be done about child poverty on Native reserves?
