One in five recent immigrants lived below the poverty line in Canada in 2022, and most of them were in 91裸聊视频渄eep poverty,91裸聊视频� according to a report Thursday from Statistics Canada.
The report studied rates of deep poverty across large sections of the Canadian population, and found it prevalent among recent immigrants, people with disabilities, one-parent families and single people who don91裸聊视频檛 live with family.
StatCan says a family or a person lives in poverty if they can91裸聊视频檛 afford the cost of a basket of goods and services that represents a basic standard of living. They are in deep poverty if their income falls below 75 per cent of that threshold.
91裸聊视频淭his confirms what front-line organizations have been witnessing for years,91裸聊视频� said Janet Madume, executive director of the Welland Heritage Council and Multicultural Centre in Ontario.
91裸聊视频淧overty among immigrants is not a personal failure, it91裸聊视频檚 a systemic failure,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淎nd without intervention, it91裸聊视频檚 going to constantly worsen.91裸聊视频�
Among the provinces, the report found that Nova Scotia had the highest rate of poverty, with 12.5 per cent of the population in 2022 unable to afford the basic basket of goods. British Columbia had the second-highest poverty rate at 12.2 per cent, followed by Manitoba at 11.9 per cent, and Newfoundland and Labrador at 11.4 per cent.
Meanwhile, 6.9 per cent of people in Manitoba lived in deep poverty, which is the highest rate among the provinces.
In other demographics, nearly a quarter of one-parent families lived in poverty, and 10 per cent lived in deep poverty.
About 60 per cent of Canadians below the poverty line lived with a disability, the report said.
Almost half of Canadians in poverty 91裸聊视频� 46.1 per cent 91裸聊视频� were on their own, outside of an 91裸聊视频渆conomic family,91裸聊视频� defined as a group of two or more people related by blood, marriage or other legal arrangement such as common-law marriage.
Josh Smee, chief executive of non-profit Food First Newfoundland and Labrador, said single, working-age adults are often left out of poverty-alleviation measures, often for political reasons. Relief programs directed specifically toward single working-age adults may not be as popular with the public as those for other groups prone to food insecurity or poverty, such as single parents or people with disabilities, he said in a recent interview.
91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 a real challenge in addressing the same issues with single folks, especially working-age single folks, because you risk that 91裸聊视频楾hey should just get a job91裸聊视频� pushback, which obviously oversimplifies the situation,91裸聊视频� Smee said.
However, he noted there is wide public support for policy changes that would address poverty among most groups 91裸聊视频� including single people 91裸聊视频� such as increasing benefit programs and minimum wages. 91裸聊视频淧eople are very supportive of those kinds of interventions 91裸聊视频� maybe more so than decision makers,91裸聊视频� he said.
Wide-reaching policy changes to increase incomes for everyone would also help alleviate some poverty among immigrants and other newcomers, said Madume. But recent immigrants still face a unique set of barriers, including systemic racism. Many arrive in Canada with years of professional experience and qualifications that aren91裸聊视频檛 recognized by employers or institutions, she said.
Often, the only jobs available are low-wage, precarious positions or gig work. And like the rest of Canadians, new immigrants must grapple with housing shortages, rents outpacing incomes and a lack of policies to alleviate those pressures, such as rent control, she said.
Madume said more disaggregated, race-based data is needed on employment, income, poverty and a host of other factors to really understand how newcomers are faring in Canada.
91裸聊视频淲e need to start acting, and we are urging every level of government to act urgently to address the root causes of (poverty among immigrants),91裸聊视频� she said.
