The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
For many Canadian families, having a job isn't a ticket out of poverty, but simply admission into the ranks of the working poor, the National Council of Welfare said in its latest Poverty Profile. Over 80 percent of poor two-parent families in Canada reported earnings from employment in 2001. Half of poor two-parent families relied primarily on employment earnings and did not receive any welfare payments or employment insurance in 2001. Their average earnings were a paltry $15,000. Child benefits helped push their average total income up to $22,000. In comparison, the average income for all non-poor two-parent families was $86,000. "It's alarming to see that this many Canadians are working, but still face a struggle to raise their children," said Council Chairperson John Murphy of Canning, Nova Scotia. Murphy said the high number of working poor families dramatizes the need for strong and concerted action against poverty in Canada.
