Opposition MLAs call on N.S. government to do more to tackle poverty

Nova Scotia’s deputy minister of opportunities and social development, Craig Beaton, recently addressed the lack of discussion surrounding increasing income assistance rates leading up to the latest provincial budget. However, he highlighted various measures aimed at combating poverty in the region.

During a session at the legislature’s standing committee on community services, Beaton emphasized the importance of affordability options, with indexing rates being one of many strategies considered. The provincial budget includes the indexing of income assistance rates to match the rate of inflation, although no other rate increases were announced.

Despite criticism from opposition MLAs regarding the lack of significant rate increases, Beaton and his colleagues outlined a range of initiatives in the budget designed to support individuals on assistance in transitioning back to work, as well as assisting disadvantaged families in breaking the cycle of poverty amidst rising living costs.

Beaton expressed confidence that the budget’s initiatives, such as reducing the HST by one percentage point, indexing income assistance rates, and expanding the universal school lunch program, will have a substantial impact on child poverty rates in the future. However, he was unable to provide a specific timeframe for when these measures would lead to noticeable declines in child poverty rates or the number of individuals receiving income assistance.

With approximately 37,000 people qualifying for income assistance in the province and a child poverty rate of about 14 percent, which has remained steady for several years, New Democrat MLA Suzy Hansen urged the government to consider indexing other support programs to match the rate of inflation if larger increases in income assistance rates are not feasible.

In addition to addressing income assistance rates, Liberal MLA Iain Rankin emphasized the need for increased support for organizations providing food to those in need to meet growing demand. The PC government has previously provided one-time funding increases to organizations like Feed Nova Scotia and raised the disability supplement for individuals on income assistance who do not qualify for the disability support program.

The meeting also marked the introduction of a new committee time structure, following changes made by the PC government to allocate additional questioning time to government MLAs. While some critics have raised concerns about potential biases in questioning, government MLAs have defended the changes as an opportunity to promote government programs and initiatives.

Overall, there is a concerted effort across government to support those most in need, with a commitment to continuous improvement and ongoing efforts to provide assistance and resources to alleviate poverty in Nova Scotia. The focus remains on addressing the root causes of poverty and implementing effective strategies to uplift individuals and families facing financial challenges.