The latest child poverty facts from Statistics Canada show that the number of poor BC children fell from 108,000 in 2007 to 87,000 in 2008 (the most recent year for which information is available), a drop of almost three percent. In spite of that, British Columbia still ended that year with the highest rate of child poverty in Canada—a dubious distinction it has held since 2002. BC’s child poverty rate of 10.4 percent is even higher than the national rate, at 9.1 percent in 2008.
The global recession means those numbers are probably inaccurate—that is, too low—today. According to a media release issued by the BC child advocacy coalition, First Call, Ministry of Housing and Social Development statistics reflect a rise in the number of people on welfare from 145,700 in March 2008 to 179,394 in March of 2010, an increase of 33,674 people.
It is well known that those statistics include a lot of children. In 2009, over 80 percent of food banks in BC saw an increase in people needing food, and one third of BC food bank users are children. Unemployment rates have also increased from 4.3% in April 2008 to 7.3% in April 2010, representing an additional 75,600 British Columbians, many with children.
Effects of Child Poverty
According to an article on Social Issues Reference, the effects of child poverty can include poor health, delayed cognitive development, behaviour problems, poor emotional well being, and problems with school achievement.
"For example, children from poor families are 1.7 times more likely to be born with low birth-weight, two times more likely to repeat a grade in school, two times more likely to drop out of school, and 3.1 times more likely to have an out-of-wedlock birth than children from non-poor families," the authors wrote.
The deeper the poverty, and the longer it lasts, the greater the impacts. "Differences in outcomes between children from families living at 50 percent of the poverty level versus 100 percent of the poverty level are large and significant," they wrote, adding that differences in middle and upper income families make little to no difference.
Further, "children who experienced poverty during four to five of their first five years experienced a full nine-point decline in intelligence test scores compared to children who experienced no poverty," while children who lived in poverty for fewer years only suffered a four-point decline in test scores.
Children today also tend to suffer more from poverty than children of previous generations did because they are more likely to be living with additional risk factors, such as "father absence, maternal depression, [and] low parental education." And while these risk factors are not exclusive to poor families living, the poverty itself can magnify their impacts on child development.
Children Should Have “First Call”
“Children are only young once. Given all the research evidence about the harm caused by growing up in poverty, we should all be alarmed by these numbers and commit to bringing them down,” commented Julie Norton, Chair of First Call, in the media release.
First Call includes provincial, regional, and local organizations, communities, and individuals who believe that children and youth should have “first call” on government and community resources. Child poverty affects the health and well-being of children both in the short term and the long term.
The coalition’s detailed recommendations to the provincial government include a higher minimum wage and rates of social assistance; publicly-funded, high-quality, affordable, accessible child care; more social housing; and removing financial barriers to post-secondary education.
First Call urges the federal government to increase in the Canada Child Tax Benefit, increase EI eligibility for workers who lose their jobs, provide universal coverage for prescription drugs and dental care, and make greater investments in social housing and a national child care plan.
Lynne Melcombe - Lynne Melcombe has been writing and editing professionally since 1984. She writes about women's issues, health, children and youth, ...
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