Conservatives fail to act on First Nations child poverty

Conservatives fail to act on First Nations child poverty

OTTAWA – New Democrats are condemning the Conservative failure to reduce poverty rates among First Nations children in the wake of a newly released report showing that half of status First Nations children in Canada live in poverty.
“Today’s report highlights the Conservatives’ utter failure to act,” said New Democrat Aboriginal Affairs Critic Jean Crowder (Nanaimo--Cowichan). “Every child deserves an equal chance – but under this government, First Nation kids are left behind.”
According to the report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Canada ranks 25^th among the 30 OECD countries in child poverty. Despite persistent calls from the NDP, the Conservative government has yet to remove the 2% funding cap on essential social services.
“We just marked the fifth anniversary of the official apology for residential schools—in which the government acknowledged the harm done to children and their families,” said NDP deputy critic for Aboriginal Affairs, Jonathan Genest-Jourdain (Manicouagan). “It is distressing to see that aboriginal youth are still not a priority for the Conservatives.”