summer/fall 2009 catalyst

Volume 32 Number 3 Summer/Fall 2009

Campaign detailsCatalyst Growing up poor

Communities in actionCitizens for Public Justice www.cpj.ca

the

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S P E C I A L I S S U E3

We believe that freedom from poverty is a human right. We believe in equality among all people. We believe we are all entitled to

social and economic security. We believe in dignity for all.

NOW is the time to end poverty in Canada!Show your support for Dignity for All!

Sign and return the enclosed postcard or sign-on online at www.dignityforall.ca

Imagine 10 of your closest friends and family. Now imagine one of them living in deep poverty – no home, no groceries, no dignity. What would you do to help?

At least one in ten Canadians is living in poverty today. We all have a roleand responsibility to help. Governments are especially well positioned to combat the structural causes of poverty in Canada.

All Canadians should be able to live with dignity. Together, let’s work to make Canada poverty-free and socially secure by 2020.

Faith and poverty roundtable

In June, policy analyst Chandra Pasmaattended a roundtable discussion abouthow to engage people of faith in the fightagainst poverty, hosted by MP TonyMartin. CPJ board chair Kathy Vander-grift also attended, representing the Ca-nadian Council of Churches. Participantsthoughtfully discussed the way we speakabout poverty as people of faith, the roleof faith communities, and how religiouslanguage gets used as an argument for not getting involved in fighting poverty.

CPJ on the Hill

On June 9, policy analyst Karri Munn-Venn appeared before the ParliamentaryStanding Committee on Human Resour-ces, Skills and Social Development andthe Status of Persons with Disabilities(HUMA Committee) to present CPJ’sbrief, “Dignity and Human Rights:Eliminating Poverty in Canada.” Thecommittee is examining the federal role in addressing poverty.

The brief outlined five recommenda-tions to the Government of Canada, in-cluding adopting the target of eliminatingpoverty in Canada by 2020, creating apoverty elimination plan, and ensuringsufficient federal revenue to invest insocial security. CPJ’s brief also recom-mended that the government require alleconomic development proposals to spe-cifically address how they contribute toreducing poverty.

Day of Reconciliation

Events across Canada on June 11, 2009marked the first anniversary of the officialapology from the Canadian government to Indian Residential School Survivors.

In Ottawa, First Nationselders and youth werejoined by church repre-sentatives, parliamentari-ans, and many children inacknowledging the chal-lenges that Aboriginalpeoples continue to faceand in celebrating theirrich culture and traditions.

As part of the gather-ing’s call to look forwardand to take action, Karri,Rob Rainer (CanadaWithout Poverty), andGeraldine King (NationalAssociation of FriendshipCentres) introduced theDignity for All campaignand encouraged thoseassembled to lend theirsupport. Eradicating FirstNations poverty is an urgent priority, onethat is supported by Dignity for All.

Karri goes to camp

In August, Karri attended Justice Camp,an event hosted by the Anglican Dioceseof Nova Scotia and PEI. The week’stheme was Finding Abundance, andgathered people from across the countryto explore the reality of poverty, study the Bible, and grow deeper together.

A unique part of the week was the

immersion experience – campers dividedup into smaller groups, travelled to dif-ferent parts of Nova Scotia and PEI, andgained hands-on experience exploringmore specific areas of poverty, such ashomelessness, education and employment.

Before the start of Justice Camp,Maylanne Maybee, CPJ board memberand coordinator of Ecojustice and Partner-ships at the Anglican Church of Canada,commented, “Justice Camps are an oppor-tunity for different generations to learnfrom each other and from first hand im-mersion experiences in a spirit of worshipand reflection.” Maylanne helped preparefor the camp and participated throughoutthe week. Fellow CPJ board memberEmily Hutten assisted with one of theimmersion experiences.

Upon her return, Karri said, “PovertyJustice Camp was a week of rich andintense experiences that challenged mepersonally, professionally and spiritually.The sense of solidarity demonstrated byfront-line service workers and the commu-nities they serve was truly inspirational.”

Summer/Fall 2009 Volume 32 Number 3

Round-up

Karri and Deborah share a soup kitchenmeal at Margaret House, Dartmouth, N.S.

Visitus online:

www.cpj.ca

CPJ’s mission is to promote public justice in Canada by shap-ing key public policy debates through research and analy-sis, publishing and public dialogue. CPJ encourages citizens,

leaders in society and governments to support policies and practices which reflect God’s call for love, justice

and stewardship. CPJ membership fee: $50/$25 low-income,

includes the Catalyst.

The Catalyst, a publication of Citizens for PublicJustice (CPJ), reports on public justice issues inCanada and reviews CPJ activities. Please contactus if you wish to reprint material.

EDITOR: Karen Diepeveen DESIGNER: Eric Mills

the Catalyst Summer/Fall 2009 (v.32, #3) ISSN 0824-2062Citizens for Public Justice tel. 613-232-0275, toll-free 1-800-667-8046. e-mail: [email protected] web: www.cpj.ca

Agreementno. 40022119

Undeliverable copies of the Catalyst should

be returned to:

Citizens for Public Justice,

309 Cooper St., #501 Ottawa, ON K2P 0G5

2

Supporting the Dignity for All campaign

Emily Hutten, CPJ board member, spends her days at ARK,a street-level organization that seeks to build community

with youth who are homeless orstreet-involved in Halifax.

Why Emily supports Dignity for All:“Walking alongside youth who live oncity streets across our country opensmy eyes daily to the desperation andtragedy that is homelessness. Theirreality speaks volumes to those who

will listen. The Dignity for All Campaign offers the possi-bility of a stronger voice, so more Canadians will hearand work toward sustainable change to eliminate povertyin Canada.”

Join together with CPJ members acrossthe country – sign the enclosed postcardand show your support for Dignity for Alltoday! Donations can be made by cheque to CPJ or online at www.dignityforall.ca.

By Sharon Murphy

Igrew up in a working-poor, IrishCatholic family in St. John’s, New-foundland in the 1950s. This in a

way says it all, and it has shaped me. But I have tried not to let it define me as a person, as I am so much more. And I have worked hard not to let my back-ground limit me.

If I were to describe in a word what itwas like growing up in a working-poorfamily, it would be stressful. I rememberthe stress of social exclusion: of beingexcluded from extracurricular activitieswith my peers, of not having access tothe material things they had.

My most poignant childhood memoryinvolves wanting to be a girl guide andnot being able to because we couldn’tafford the uniform. I remember lookingin the window of the church basementwatching other girls at their meeting. Ifelt like all kids from poor homes feel – on the outside looking in.

My father was an activeunion member and there wasalways the stress that he mightgo on strike. There was thestress of growing up in a hous-ing situation controlled by anunjust landlord who looked uponyour family simply as a rent check. Andthere was the stress of not being able toafford a tutor to help with a nonverballearning disability. I remember absorbingthe stress in my parent’s marriage createdby our financial situation.

Ordinary experiences like going to a dentist were a major hurdle for me.There was no extra money for regulardental checkups, not to mention expen-sive dental work. I grew up in a timebefore Tommy Douglas and Medicare.When someone in the family needed togo to hospital or to the doctor, there wereextra expenses and added stress.

I became aware of my place in thesocial hierarchy at a very young age. Inkindergarten I quickly realized that therewere different schools for different class-es of children. The more well-off girlsattended the Mercy school, while theworking-poor girls went to the Presenta-tion school. The more well-off boys went

to St. Bonaventure school and working-poor boys went to St. Pat’s school.

There were experiences that shatteredor affirmed your faith. I remember oneChristmas my parents could not afford aturkey for dinner and were planning onhaving roast beef instead. A local meatmarket was selling tickets on a turkey, somy parents bought one ticket. I remem-ber listening to the radio on ChristmasEve when the ticket was drawn, andhearing my father’s name announced asthe lucky winner. What are the chances?

Heartfelt childhood memoryThere were people, one neighbour

I remember in particular, who wereunbelievably supportive of my family. Mrs. Windsor and her family were trulyinstruments of God’s love. Not only did

they provide emotional sup-port, especially for mymother, but they reached outto my family

in many ways. I don’t know what we

would have done withoutthem when our apartmentcaught fire in December1959. We lived in row hous-

ing, and when a fire broke outfour doors up from us, within

minutes the whole side street was on fire.The Windsors took us in and one of mymost heartfelt childhood memories isMrs. Windsor bringing my brother andme a cup of hot milk to settle us downthat evening. She also helped my momfind resources and access services sheneeded. Because my mom was a countrygirl from Chapel Arm, Trinity Bay, thishelp in navigating the system was reallyimportant.

I remember the Windsors allowing me to visit their house to watch TV whenwe didn’t have one. When my parentscouldn’t afford piano lessons, she tookme under her wing and “tried” to teachme. They were people who truly livedthe Gospel message.

Not just an old storyYou may be thinking this is ancient

history, asking what relevance does ithave to today?

Unfortunately it has too much rele-vance. It is relevant to people using foodbanks around our country. It is relevantto young single mothers who tell me theycan’t afford to buy milk for their children.It is relevant to the 200 people who areserved Sunday Supper at St. Andrew’sUnited Church in Halifax.

It is also relevant to the people I inter-viewed panhandling on Halifax’s mainstreet for the Canadian Social Form.Most of them were cancer survivors, and one man was paraplegic as a resultof being swarmed and beaten by a gangof young men.

These people were not addicted todrugs or unwilling to work. They weresimply supplementing an inadequatesocial assistance allowance. I want tomake clear, at this point, that I can onlyimagine the kind of poverty I see peopledeal with every day. Hunger and povertyis very real and relevant to these people.

My mother dealt with health problemswhile raising a large family with nosocial supports and medical services thatdid not serve her well. She was lucky,however, to have a strong, supportiveextended family. There were, and stillare, other women and men less fortunate.

I had an interesting and insightfulexperience while writing this article. Inlooking at what I had written, I suddenlynoticed I was using second or third per-son pronouns. I also noticed that I wasusing distancing language like “families”instead of “my family.” I had to gothrough the whole article and change the way I had written it. I guess it wasdifficult to deal with the realities of mychildhood.

In closing, I want to say that the poorhave become the invisible in our society.I hope this article contributes to makingthe invisible more visible.

Sharon Murphy is a retired psychi-atric social workerwho received theVolunteer of the YearAward for NovaScotia for 2006.Recently relocated toHalifax, Sharon sitson the board of direc-


THE REALITY OF POVERTY

Growing up working-poor and invisible

Summer/Fall 2009 4

Creating a Canada free of povertyis the vision of the Dignity for Allcampaign, co-founded by CPJ and

Canada Without Poverty earlier this year. Socio-economic issues are at the heart

of the challenges many Canadians face.Newcomers arriving in Canada, unable to work because their credentials are notrealized, are forced to work for minimumwage at a local laundromat. HomelessCanadians face the reality of a shortage of affordable housing, unable to find a safe place to live. Aboriginal Canadiansliving on reserves face conditions similarto those in developing countries.

CPJ’s work has touched on many ofthese issues – newcomers, housing andhomelessness, Aboriginal issues – as wellas women’s rights, childcare, and others.Socio-economic difficulties have stood outas a constant in our policy analysis.

Our work is grounded in God’s visionof a society that has no poverty. Deuter-onomy 15:4–5 states, “However, thereshould be no poor among you, for in theland the Lord your God is giving you topossess as your inheritance, he will richlybless you, if only you fully obey the Lordyour God and are careful to follow allthese commands I am giving you today.”

As a Christian organization, CPJ takesseriously the biblical imperative to createthe conditions where no one in the land isin need. For a country as rich as Canada,there is no excuse for growing disparity,for the continued need for food banks orfor emergency homeless shelters. We shareas a matter of public justice a responsibili-ty to look out for our neighbours’ needs.

God calls us to be generous towards the poor, engaging our whole being – howwe act, think, and feel toward the poor, aswell as how we view them.

This is why we envisioned the Dignityfor All campaign. Creating a poverty-freeCanada: where everyone can find securehousing, job training is accessible andaffordable, and the human rights of peoplewith disabilities are respected. This is atthe core of what we are advocating withthe Dignity for All campaign.

What are we advocating?1. A comprehensive, integrated feder-

al plan for poverty elimination: Linkedto and in support of current and futureprovincial and territorial poverty actionplans, a federal plan for poverty elimina-tion will provide a pan-Canadian blue-print for reducing and eventually elimina-ting poverty.

The plan will inspire other efforts tocombat poverty and to promote a fair andjust society. It will require transparencyand accountability by the federal govern-ment, with inclusion of robust indicators of low income, material deprivation and

Volume 32 Number 3

Poverty reduction, anti-poverty move-ment, poverty elimination, making pover-ty history – all of these terms have beenassociated with advocacy against poverty.What is the difference? Why do some useone term and others, another?

Here at CPJ, we have most frequentlyused poverty reduction when calling onthe federal government to address poverty.

Our 2006 submission to the StandingCommittee on Finance was aptly titled“Time for a National Poverty ReductionStrategy.” In it, we called for “an integrat-ed strategy, across departments of the fed-eral government and across levels of gov-ernment to substantially reduce povertyand inequality.” A poverty reduction stra-tegy was also the centerpiece of CPJ’s2008/09 Envisioning Canada WithoutPoverty Campaign.

The term anti-poverty has been asso-ciated with various initiatives. TheNational Anti-Poverty Organization (nowCanada Without Poverty), founded in1971 and governed entirely by people whohave experiences living in poverty, haslong sought the end of poverty in Canada.Its name captured the sense of acting a-gainst poverty, resisting its very existence.

The international movement Make

Poverty History has framed the issueanother way. Desiring poverty to be seenas a thing of the past, with a future untaint-ed by socio-economic challenges, MakePoverty History strives to achieve this by encouraging governments to followthrough on both foreign and domesticcommitments.

A shared goalWhat do all these terms have in com-

mon? They all seek the same goal: eradi-cating poverty in Canada for good. Noone is comfortable with any level of pov-erty in Canada, regardless of what wordthey use to describe how to get rid of it.

Because of this common goal, the Dig-nity for All campaign calls for the elimi-nation of poverty in Canada – being ab-solutely clear about our vision. Calling onour federal government to eliminatepoverty in Canada sets out exactly what,working together, we hope to achieve.

With the Dignity for All campaign weoutline a vision of what is possible. Webelieve that with Canada’s wealth andabundance combined with its policy andinstitutional capacity, we can eliminatepoverty. What’s missing is the politicalwill to do so.

Reduce? Eliminate? Make it history?


social exclusion. It will be comprehensive in its approach, with measures concerningseveral critical areas, including income secu-rity, employment insurance, early childhooddevelopment, education and training, andsocial supports.

2. A federal act to eliminate poverty,promote social inclusion and strengthensocial security: Inspired by similar legis-lation in other jurisdictions, this Act willensure an ongoing federal role and responsi-bility for social development, while demon-strating a lasting federal commitment foraction and for accountability to citizens forresults.

3. Sufficient federal revenue to invest in social security: In order to fulfill its roleand responsibility to ensure social securitygenerally, and to combat poverty specifically,the federal government must have sufficientrevenue, or “fiscal capacity.” The Dignity for All Campaign will promote public under-standing of the link between the taxes Cana-dians pay and the supports and services webenefit from as a result. The campaign willalso advance policy proposals for sufficientand fair taxation.

Our conviction behind this campaign is that Canadians must respect and defend the right of every person to dignity andsecurity.

Show your support for Dignity for All!Sign and return the enclosed postcardor sign-on at www.dignityforall.ca.Together, we can eliminate poverty inCanada!

A federal anti-poverty act: What’s in an act?The Dignity for All campaign calls for a federal anti-poverty act that ensuresenduring federal commitment and accountability for results. Why is legislationnecessary?

Legislation enshrines commitments into law, binding the government to act. It also creates a measure of accountability to ensure this action occurs, for failingto meet the legislation’s requirements would mean the government was breakingthe law. Because of this, an act focused solely on addressing poverty is an essentialaspect of poverty elimination.

The act would also demonstrate a lasting commitment to the federal role insocial development and addressing poverty. It would ensure that future govern-ments will maintain this responsibility, since the government’s role will be man-dated by law.

Provincial examplesTwo of Canada’s provinces have already enshrined their own poverty reduction

efforts into law. Quebec’s law was the direct result of citizen action. The Collective for a Quebec

without Poverty spearheaded a multi-year effort to draft a law, involving extensiveconsultations with citizens and community groups, particularly those most affectedby poverty. The final legislation received unanimous consent in the Quebec legis-lature in 2002. When the Liberal government of Jean Charest took power in 2003,public pressure to abide by the law forced it to create a substantial action plan.

After several years of widespread citizen mobilization, Ontario introduced aprovincial poverty reduction strategy in December 2008. This was quickly fol-lowed by the adoption of a provincial Poverty Reduction Act in May 2009, whichreceived consent from all parties in the legislature. Continued engagement byprovincial anti-poverty groups strengthened the legislation before it was adopted,ensuring the Act would have the greatest possible effect on poverty in Ontario.

A Canadian actThe federal government should look to these and other jurisdictions to model

a national anti-poverty act. The act should include official and robust measures of poverty and social exclu-

sion. It should commit the government to specific targets and timelines for achiev-ing poverty eradication. And it should include a framework for accountability,including measuring and reporting on progress.

The act should also create a fundamental policy principle whereby every majorgovernment decision be evaluated against its impact on poverty.

The act should be grounded in a human rights perspective, with a commitmentto the dignity of all Canadians. The corresponding poverty elimination plan shouldbe developed in consultation and cooperation with those living in poverty.

A comprehensive, accountable act would go far in taking steps to eliminatepoverty in Canada – real, concrete political action and commitment is essential to creating a poverty-free Canada.

ACORN CanadaCampaign 2000Canadian Association of Social WorkersCanadian Cooperative AssociationCanadian Council on Social

DevelopmentCanadian Labour CongressCanadian Teachers’ Federation

Centre for Equality Rights inAccommodation

Council of Canadians with DisabilitiesMake Poverty HistoryRegina Anti-Poverty Ministry

The campaign works in consultation withthe Collective for a Poverty-Free Quebec.

Dignity for All: The Campaign for a Poverty-Free Canadawas founded by Canada Without Poverty and Citizens for Public Justice in 2009.The Inaugural Campaign Committee includes:


Does arrivalin Canadadoom new-comers topoverty?By Joe Gunn“You shall bring out your produce …the resident aliens, the orphans, andthe widows may come and eat theirfill so that the Lord your God maybless you in all the work that youundertake.” (Deuteronomy 14:28-29)

The people of Israel, and later,Christians, always understood com-pliance with the Biblical injunction

to care for the widows, orphans and aliensas a sign of faithfulness to God. Today,this Biblical reference can refer to the250,000 immigrants who come to ourshores each year, plus refugees, and over200,000 temporary and seasonal workers.

Newcomers arrive to improve the livesof themselves and their children, but in-creasingly find themselves in povertydespite their best efforts. While earliernewcomers could work hard and flourish,over the last 25 years the economic posi-tion of newcomers has steadily declinedrelative to native Canadians.

Behind the rising numbersWhy is poverty among newcomers ris-

ing? How are Canadians and their govern-ments failing to adequately respond?

When newcomers in our communitiesare asked these questions, common re-sponses quickly emerge. A key structuralproblem lies in the nature and functioningof the labour market in most immigrant-receiving regions. Despite higher levels of education among new immigrants, theyare unable to obtain good jobs to allowtheir families to adapt to their new landand emerge from poverty.

Canadian cities are currently filledwith immigrants who managed to amassenough points to be accepted by Canada’sselection system, but who then must re-

sign themselves to the disappointment oflower-skilled and lower-paid professionsupon their arrival. Additionally, it is ex-tremely difficult for newcomers to receiverecognition for their non-Canadian workexperience – and Canadian work experi-ence opportunities are difficult to attain.

Although it is hard to quantify racism,it cannot be ignored. Poverty among ra-cialized communities (referring to bothimmigrant and Canadian-born peoples ofcolour) is now a growing challenge, andracism in the labour market has become a structural problem.

Michael Kerr, coordinator of theColour of Poverty Campaign, writes that,“People from communities of colour aremore likely than those from Caucasian orEuropean backgrounds to fall below thelow income cut-off level and to have re-lated problems such as poor health, lowereducation and fewer job opportunities.”

Language skills are also im-portant in the search for goodemployment in the emergingknowledge economy. Before the1960s, when immigration rulesfavoured those from WesternEurope, immigrants were likelyto speak one of Canada’s twoofficial languages. Immigrationfrom Eastern Europe, Africa andAsia was only 35% of the Cana-dian total in 1981, but this rose to 72% by 2001.

Weak language skills in Eng-lish and French can keep new-comers from the jobs they covetand even are trained to perform. The solu-tion is not to limit immigration to speak-ers of Canada’s official languages asmuch as to ensure increased access toappropriate language training.

What can be done?These are but a few of the root causes

of newcomer poverty. It has been said thatpoverty is not equal – it impacts differentgroups of people differently. Therefore,comprehensive solutions to poverty needto recognize these different impacts.

In the case of newcomers to Canada,specific changes are needed. Adequatelyrecognizing overseas education and pro-fessional credentials is one place to start.Addressing racism in the workplace andproviding work opportunities for allnewcomers is also essential. Providing

increased language training could reduceworkplace barriers for immigrants.

Further, easing or ending processingfees for newcomer families could alsogive them a good start. The federal gov-ernment could absorb fees charged to ref-ugees for medical tests and transportationto Canada as a way to avoid huge debtloads of up to $10,000 that burden manyfamilies upon arrival. Extending andincreasing federal income supports totareted groups such as single mothers and immigrant seniors would also make a difference.

The big pictureUzma Shakir, who works in Toronto

with South Asian newcomers, has stated,“If we understand the causes of poverty,our solutions will be appropriately sys-temic.” In terms of this bigger analysis,we know from a long history that our

market economy creates inequality. Thatmeans it will always create poverty aswell, unless mediating influences of thecommunity and governments are applied.

Poverty among newcomers has becomea structural problem in Canada. This isprecisely why Citizens for Public Justicehas initiated the Dignity for All campaign,designed to focus public attention on thefederal government’s role in designingand implementing a poverty eliminationstrategy for Canada. In order for the solu-tions we have proposed to be authentic,newcomers with lived experiences of pov-erty need to be involved in their specificdesign and implementation.

In this way, as the writer of Deuteron-omy states, “the Lord your God may bless(us) in all the work that (we) undertake.”

Joe Gunn is CPJ’s executive director.

In 2004, Statistics Canada used censusdata compiled in Canada’s 27 largestcities from 1980 to 2000 and discovered:•35% of recent immigrants live under

the poverty line •This is more than three times the

poverty rate of the general population • immigrant poverty has risen by as

much as 60% over the last 20 years Advocates suggest that newcomer pover-ty is actually closer to 50% if temporaryworkers, refugees and non-status personsare included in the statistics.


By Chandra Pasma and Mariel Angus

People living in poverty struggle withmany immediate needs: food, cloth-ing, housing, furniture, laundry,

skills, and employment. Across the coun-try, community organizations are activelyproviding basic resources, skills trainingand services to help meet these needs.

Local organizations have seen manypeople succeed with the support programsthey offer. The Parker Street Food andFurniture Bank in Halifax offers trainingin flooring installation for low-income people. A man on socialassistance for 18 years joined theprogram and found employment afew months later.

In Ottawa, a man who hadstruggled with mental illness for 20years got his first part-time job atage 37 thanks to the CommunityLaundry Co-operative (CLC). He completed the CLC’s trainingand worked in its Community Eco-nomic Development Program,allowing CLC to provide a refer-ence to his new employer.

Meeting local needs Such groups are often formed in

response to the individual and familyneeds in their local communities. Can-ada’s first food bank opened in 1981 inresponse to inadequate social assistancelevels. Over 20 years later, more than 600food banks across Canada serve more than700,000 Canadians in an average month.Parker Street in Halifax serves 250 fami-lies a week, and demand has increasedsince the recession started.

Soup kitchens and shelters also servedaily meals to the hungry. The MustardSeed, a Christian ministry in Alberta thatprovides shelter services, served morethan 488,000 meals last year.

Two Ottawa United Churches and acommunity health centre formed CLC fol-lowing cuts to social services and welfarein Ontario in 1998. “It was clear peopledidn’t have enough money to do laundry,”says coordinator Marianela Santamaria.CLC provides self-service laundry tomembers (membership is $1 a year) for

$1 per load, including supplies. Vancouver co-operative Coast Mental

Health (CMH) provides supportive andaffordable housing to people living withmental illness. Heather Edgar of CMHdescribes seeing “people flourish” andtheir health and wellbeing improve whenthey move into supportive housing.

Many of these organizations havegrown in response to additional needs oftheir clients, adding skills training, em-ployment opportunities, mental health andaddictions help, medical services and rec-reational programs.

Challenging timesBut these community organizations

also face significant challenges, particu-larly during this economic downturn.Insufficient donations and a lack of fund-ing often strain resources, forcing manyorganizations to limit their services. MelBoutilier, executive director of ParkerStreet, says that many Halifax churcheshave had to turn people away becausethey no longer have resources to help.

Many organizations are operating with a deficit this year. But even in goodeconomic times, fundraising remains aconstant concern. “Fundraising takes a lotof hard work, every year,” reports Santa-maria. “Every year we have to raise thesame amount of money, and no one wantsto make multi-year commitments.”

Expanding local work can also be achallenge, especially when communitiesresist having programs in their immediateneighbourhood. The Mustard Seed modi-

fied its proposal for an affordable housingtower after facing complaints from down-town businesses and Calgary aldermen.The Mustard Seed gained support for amodified proposal after conducting a pub-lic education campaign and developing aGood Neighbour Agreement.

Lack of affordable housing, the eco-nomic downturn, cuts to government pro-grams and services, and an aging popula-tion living on fixed incomes have also led to increased demand for communityservices that can strain their capacity.

A role for governmentsWhile local groups can meet

local needs, they can’t changeall the conditions and structuresthat create poverty. Affordablehousing, living wages, secureemployment and income securi-ty programs can can help peoplemeet basic needs. Governmentpolicies are essential to ensurethat all Canadians have access to these building blocks of a lifewith dignity.

Strengthening partnershipsbetween different social andinstitutional spheres – such asbetween government and civilsociety – can create a stronger

and more socially secure Canada. Civilsociety organizations can be more flexiblein responding to community needs andproviding services, and governments cansupport them with funding and resources.CMH and the Mustard Seed have bothrelied on government grants to carry outparts of their work.

Such support will ensure that commu-nity organizations have more success sto-ries. Courtney Fliss reports that 55 guestscan transition from the Mustard Seed’sCalgary shelter into affordable housingeach month with support from the organi-zation’s programs. That number may seemsmall compared to 4000 homeless peopleliving in Calgary, but they are 55 peopleprovided with dignity and greater hope forthe future. Success stories like these makeall the effort worthwhile.

Chandra Pasma is CPJ’s public jus-tice policy analyst and Mariel Angus wasCPJ’s 08/09 policy intern.

PILLARS OF SUPPORT

Community groups across Canada

Karri Munn-Venn, clients and volunteers in Halifax’s HopeCottage soup kitchen, which serves 4000 meals per month.

By Dr. Sylvia Keesmaat

Once upon a time there was a mannamed Boaz. You may have heardof him. Boaz lived in ancient

Israel at the time of the judges. It was a time of increasing violence againstwomen, tribal warfare and increasing economic hardship, for there had been afamine in the land.

As a result, it was also a time of pov-erty. There were women who had beenwidowed; there were men who had beeninjured too much to work; and there wererefugees coming to the land.

Boaz, however, did not worry in diffi-cult economic times. He was a leader inhis village and had lands and labourers inabundance. And he had one more indis-pensable thing. Boaz had learned the lawsof the God of Abraham and Isaac at hismother’s knee. He followed those lawsand he trusted that God would provide all that he needed.

Because of this trust in God,Boaz knew that he had a certainrole to play with regard to thosewho suffered want. He knew thatduring times of harvest he was toleave some grain at the edge ofhis fields for others to pick upand take for their own food. Heknew that he was to be openhanded with generosity to thosewho were hungry and those whoneeded clothing. He knew that hewas to take in any of his own kinwho had lost land and cattle andhelp them get back on their feet.

Boaz knew these things, andas a God-fearing Israelite hepracticed them as best as hecould. Occasionally he was trou-bled by the increasing economicinjustice that he saw around him.He saw one of his neighbourstake more and more land frombankrupt farmers. He saw otherneighbours become bondedslaves in order to pay off debt.

This grieved him for he knew that theTorah was about generosity, not greed. At the city gates he tried to hold beforethe villagers their calling to care for theorphan and the widow. He reminded them

that every seven years debts were to beforgiven and slaves to be freed, that oncea generation all land was to be returned sothat the economic playing field would belevel once more.

Boaz was a very unusual man in Israel.Not only did he practice personal generos-ity, he knew that Godhad built a structuralgenerosity into the heartof the laws of his com-munity. And he wasdetermined to see to itthat his village practicedsuch generosity.

Then, one day, twonew refugees came toBethlehem. Boaz first heard of them whenhe saw one gleaning in his fields. Heenquired as to who this woman was. “Sheis Ruth, a Moabite, who has returned withher mother–in-law Naomi,” he was told.

A widow and a Moabite. A widow heknew what to do with. She should be

allowed to glean in the fields with theother women. But a Moabite? Boaz knewthe law. There were some people forbid-den to the Israelites, and Moabites wereamong them.

But there were stories about this

woman, Ruth. It wastold how she had refusedto leave her mother-in-lawto return to her own family. It was toldhow Ruth had cared for Naomi so deeplythat she came as a refugee with her to anew land. She was a foreigner who prac-ticed the same kind of generosity thatBoaz himself lived.

Even as he knew the letter of the law,the spirit of the lawhad worked its wayinto Boaz’s heart fartoo deeply. He had forso long practiced anopen handed and openhearted generosity thathis response to thiswoman was sponta-neous.

He knew that her age would make hera target for the men in his field. “Do notbother her,” he told them. He knew thatshe gathered not only for herself but alsofor her mother-in-law. “Leave some extrastalks for her,” he told his workers. Whereothers might have taken advantage of ayoung foreign woman, he sought to pro-tect her and provide as much as she wouldneed. He provided water for her, and heprovided bread.

You probably know how this storyends, how Ruth was considered no morethan a piece of property, the bit that wentwith a lucrative field. No doubt it is famil-iar to you, how the man with first rights tothis property wanted the field but not thewoman who went with it, and how Boazbought the field and with it took responsi-bility for Ruth and with her, Naomi.

It was open hearted generosity to theend, in obedience to the laws that were to alleviate poverty for the orphan, thewidow and the foreigner in Israel.

What would it look like if all the peo-ple of faith in Canada tried to be as faith-ful as Boaz? It would mean an open heart-ed generosity that goes beyond the letterof the law. It would mean an attempt toinfluence the leaders to make such open-hearted generosity a part of the laws ofthe land. It would mean a glimpse into the heart of the kingdom of God.

Dr. Sylvia Keesmaat is an adjunctprofessor of Biblical Studies at theInstitute for Christian Studies and theToronto School of Theology. She lives onan organic farm in Cameron, Ontario.


Living the heart of the lawGroundings

What would it looklike if all the peopleof faith in Canada

tried to be as faith-ful as Boaz?

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