Child Poverty in Canada: Towards an Integrated Equality

Canada’s Duty to Children Numerous negative consequences associated with childhood poverty Canada signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Canada agreed to follow the Declaration of the Rights of the Child However, childhood poverty persists in Canada, and has increased over time

Child Poverty In Canada Howe and Covell (2003) analyze child poverty in Canada, and find child poverty in Canada is “the significant problem that is in the areas of the provision of basic needs, protection against abuse and neglect, and participation in decisions that affect the child” (p. 1068). Howe and Covell (2003) contend the Canadian situation of child poverty is “at odds with the principles of the convention” (p. 1068).

Integrated Equality: Departure and End Goal John Rawls (1997) proposes a model of equality of opportunity, where “undeserved inequalities call for redress” (p. 185) and, to treat people equally, “society must give more attention to those with fewer native assets and to those born into the less favorable social positions” (p. 185- 186).

Integrated Equality: Departure and End Goal Nathanson (2005) argues for the principle of decency, which states “justice requires neither that all have equal resources nor that all have sufficient resources to make them content, it does require that, at least in affluent societies, all members have the resources required for a decent level of well-being” (p. 371).

Overlapping and Interrelated Social Systems Fraser Baker et al. Howe and Covell Economic Redistribution “production, distribution, and exchange of goods and services” (p. 58) Provision Cultural Recognition “the production, transmission, and legitimation of cultural practices and products” (p. 59) Affective “providing and sustaining relationships with love, care and solidarity” (p. 59-60) Protection Political Representation “relationships involved in making and enforcing collectively binding decisions” (p. 59) Participation

Autonomous Spheres of Justice Walzer (1983) argues “the principles of justice are themselves pluralistic in form; that different social goods ought to be distributed for different reasons; and that all those differences derive from the different understandings of the social goods themselves” (p. 6)

Autonomous Spheres of Justice dominance in one sphere of justice should not directly relate to dominance in another sphere of justice. With greater autonomy between social systems, a child living in poverty may not necessarily suffer the inequalities in the cultural, affective and political social systems.

Prioritizing Remedial Action Baker et al (2009): the economic is the most foundational social system, which is followed by the affective, the cultural, and the political social systems. 1) redistribution and provision in the economic social system 2) recognition and protection in the affective social system. 3) recognition and provision in the cultural social system 4) representation and participation in the political social system.

Conclusion through an examination of Canada’s international agreement to respect the rights of children, the reality of Canada’s national child poverty situation, and an integrated theoretical analysis of social systems, an attempt has been made to provide overarching policy recommendations aimed at helping Canada to meet its international agreement and legal obligation to the nation’s children.