Responses Received
On October 20, PFS received a response from the NDP. See the letter here NDP response to Poverty Free Saskatchewan – Oct 20, 2011
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Questions for Parties
The following questions were e-mailed to the parties involved in the 2011 Saskatchewan provincial election.
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This is your invitation to make the public aware of your plans to eliminate poverty in Saskatchewan. Poverty is a multi-dimensional social problem that often includes issues concerning income, cost-of-living, health and social cohesion. Poverty affects a diverse group of persons in our communities and requires a comprehensive strategy by governments, business and community organizations to adequately address.
The government-led component of such a plan must be cross-cutting and integrated, providing resources from all levels and departments within government to ensure that the problem of poverty is attacked from every angle.
- If elected, will you support enactment of a law that commits the provincial government to creating a comprehensive poverty elimination program?
Yes No
A poverty elimination plan should lay out overarching goals for the whole of the provincial government, and include the development of implementation plans within key ministries and collaboration at the federal level.
- Are you prepared to press the federal government to join the fight against poverty by enhancing programs within federal jurisdiction (e.g. the Canadian Child Tax Benefit, Employment Insurance)?
Yes No
To ensure that governments and other organizations are held to their commitments and that anti-poverty efforts survive successive governments, accountability is key. Measurement of performance, monitoring progress and reporting are fundamental to ensure the success of a poverty elimination program. Any successful plan to reduce or eliminate poverty must address its multi-faceted nature. How do you and your party plan to address the following six key areas outlined as essential to poverty elimination?
On a scale of 1 to 4, 1 being “not at all” and 4 being “fully supported”, to what extent do you support the following
(Circle your response):
1. Housing Access and Affordability
- Increasing the amount of the Saskatchewan Rental Housing Supplement
1 2 3 4
- Implementing province-wide rent controls that caps rent increases to the Sask. Consumer Price Index
1 2 3 4
- Investing immediately in new social housing units and the construction of more units in future
1 2 3 4
- Incentives to aid low-income home-buyers transition to home ownership
1 2 3 4
What other policies do you intend to implement to address this issue?
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2. Income Security for Equity-Seeking Groups
- Immediately increasing social assistance (SAP) payments by 20% and ensuring subsequent benefits eventually meet the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) line
1 2 3 4
- Increasing the Seniors Income Plan (SIP) provincial benefit
1 2 3 4
- Annual indexing of rates every January 1 so people do not lose ground to inflation
1 2 3 4
What other policies do you intend to implement to address this issue?
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3. Education, Training and Early Childhood Learning and Development
- Increasing the amount of subsidized childcare spaces to coincide with the average for Canada
1 2 3 4
- Implementing a post-secondary education tuition freeze
1 2 3 4
- Expanding provincial scholarships and grants for Aboriginal students
1 2 3 4
- Enhancing distance learning and access to education for northern communities
1 2 3 4
What other policies do you intend to implement to address this issue?
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4. Enabling and Rewarding Work and Participation in our Communities
- Increasing the provincial minimum wage to $10.75 per hour
1 2 3 4
- Committing to fully indexing the minimum wage to annual cost of living increases
1 2 3 4
- Equity legislation regarding opportunity and remuneration for vulnerable groups
1 2 3 4
- Creating job incentives for full time work and benefits for full time and part time employees
1 2 3 4
What other policies do you intend to implement to address this issue?
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5. Improving Access to and Quality of Services for Low Income People
- Creating of a province-wide education campaign concerning support programs and services
1 2 3 4
- Ensuring vulnerable groups have access to appropriate services (ie. community schools, affordable homecare, support program)
1 2 3 4
What other policies do you intend to implement to address this issue?
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6. Promoting Health and Preventing Illness
A family services health plan with:
- Expanded eligibility for qualification to $35,000 per year
1 2 3 4
- Basic dental care and improved optometric services for adults under the Family Health Plan
1 2 3 4
- Reduced co-payment on prescription drugs for adults to 25% of total cost
1 2 3 4
- Partial coverage for smoking cessation drugs and treatments
1 2 3 4
- Creating a provincial strategy to improve access to recreation and leisure activities
1 2 3 4
- Expanding access and affordability to healthy foods, such a creating a healthy food supplement
1 2 3 4
What other policies do you intend to implement to address this issue?
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Thank you! Please send your responses to the address or email below by October 24, 2011. All responses from the provincial parties will be publicly accessible on the Poverty Free Saskatchewan website and will be distributed to the public.
Poverty Free Saskatchewan (PFS) is a network working toward poverty elimination. Our goal to reduce and eventually eliminate poverty in Saskatchewan will require involvement and commitment from all levels of government, business, community organizations and individuals. Many other provinces and regions have already implemented their own poverty reduction plans. Provinces, such as Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Ontario have demonstrated that through concerted action people can significantly reduce the incidence of poverty.
We want to hear from your party concerning the issues of poverty in our province.
Send Responses to: Poverty Free Saskatchewan
Suite G – 2835 13th Avenue
Regina, Saskatchewan
S4T 1N6