Action/Campaigns

• Make the Minimum Wage a Living Wage
• Our Future Now! End Youth Poverty
• Stop the Clawback of the NCBS
• Make Poverty History
• End Child Poverty
• NAPO Action Campaigns

Make the Minimum Wage a Living Wage

Our Future Now! End Youth Poverty

The National Anti-Poverty Organization has launched a Youth Poverty Initiative that seeks to engage youth in doing research, developing popular education and campaign resources and taking action on youth poverty. More...

Stop the Clawback of the National Child Benefit Supplement

The Hands off! Campaign asks the Ontario and the Federal government to do 2 things:

• End the clawback of the National Child Benefit Supplement from families on social assistance, now!
• Fund the reinvestment programs that work for low-income families out of other provincial and federal revenues.

What is the NCBS clawback?

The National Child Benefit Supplement (NCBS) was introduced in 1997 to prevent and reduce child poverty in Canada. The NCBS is part of the Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) and gives the lowest income families up to $126 a month for each child under 18.

In Ontario, and most other provinces, families on social assistance get the maximum NCBS, but the province "claws back" the benefit by reducing their social assistance benefits by almost 100% of the NCBS payment, leaving them no further ahead. The money that is saved by clawing back the NCBS is used to fund "reinvestment programs" for low-income families, but not necessarily for families on social assistance.

Why a campaign to end the clawback?

Families on social assistance are among the poorest and most vulnerable families in our communities. Clawing back the NCBS from these families, just because they are on social assistance, is unfair and discriminatory. Clawing back the NCBS leaves these parents struggling to meet the basic needs of their families. No parent should have to make the terrible choices that families on social assistance have to make every month in order to survive.

Take Action Now to End the Clawback!

Make Poverty History

Be part of Make Poverty History, an international action campaign against poverty.

Your voice will be added to a chorus, more than 50 countries strong, calling on world leaders to act now to end poverty.

Here's what we want in 14 words:
More and Better Aid.
Trade Justice.
Cancel the Debt.
End Child Poverty in Canada.

The symbol of the campaign is a simple White Band. By wearing it you'll be part of Make Poverty History, a unique worldwide effort to end extreme poverty - for good. The White Band can be worn around the wrist, your arm - in fact anywhere you like that it can be seen by everyone.

Add your voice to Make Poverty History.

Take action to end child poverty

Support Campaign 2000's action to end child poverty by clicking on box below to send a message to elected leaders and your MP.

NAPO Campaigns and Initiatives

The NAPO Board has decided that NAPO will give priority to the following action campaigns and initiatives:

Social Transfer Debate:

NAPO is calling for a national discussion on the nature and future of social programs in Canada. The discussion could take the form of a commission similar to the Romanow Commission on health care or a special parliamentary committee that would hold hearings across the country. Canadians would be able to voice their ideas on social programs and help determine the priorities and role of the social safety net.

Economic and Social Rights:

NAPO will coordinate efforts by a number of non-governmental groups to provide information to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on its assessment of Canada’s implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights when it meets in 2006.

Youth Poverty Initiative:

We are developing a youth poverty initiative aimed at increasing public awareness of rising rates of poverty for youth aged 15-24, and causes and consequences of youth poverty. NAPO will involve youth in researching the issue and developing popular education materials for use in communities across Canada. Initially, public education and action efforts will be linked to the minimum wage campaign.

Living Wage Campaign:

This campaign has two components, and is linked to the youth poverty initiative (given the high levels of youth in low-wage jobs).

• Campaign with other national and regional partners to raise provincial minimum wage rates to $10/hour across the country and to reintroduce the federal minimum wage rate at the same level.
• University-based campaigns to convince universities to adopt a living wage policy that would require contracts to be awarded only to those companies paying employees a minimum of $10/hour.