Prince Edward Island needs to immediately adopt a poverty reduction strategy and revamp its social assistance programs

Note there is not one word of mention regarding the 9,000 seniors with disabilities. At all these meetings, hearings and committees it’s as if they don’t exist

Charlottetown Guardian – Mary Boyd of the MacKillop Centre for Social Justice said the Island remains the only jurisdiction in the Atlantic region without a concrete plan to reduce poverty rates in the province.

Boyd said the province’s welfare act needs to be overhauled in addition to a poverty reduction strategy.

“The sooner it is announced the better,” Boyd told P.E.I. MLAs who are reviewing the programs and services delivered under the Social Assistance Act.

“It’s disgraceful that when it comes to the percentage of our GDP that we spend on social programs, we’re number 25 in the world as a nation. We’re so much richer than a lot of those countries that are doing a whole lot better than us.

“What is it in this country that is keeping us this low?”

In last November’s throne speech, the P.E.I. government announced plans for a social prosperity framework. The social prosperity strategy, which will complement the Island Prosperity Strategy and the Rural Development Strategy, will be released in the fall, officials say.

Opposition Leader Olive Crane has worked in social services for more than a decade. She is the former director of the program in P.E.I., a position she held until 2000.
Crane agrees change is needed. She is also calling for a whole new act as well as a poverty reduction strategy.

“A poverty reduction strategy was actually a promise of this present government,” said Crane.

“We need a new act. They are the ones that have said they are working on a poverty reduction strategy. The act has to be part of that.”

Progressive Conservative MLA Jim Bagnall said the program needs to stop penalizing people who are trying to get off of social assistance. He too is calling for change.
“If they go out and make $75 a month, then anything over $75 a month they lose dollar for dollar,” he said.

The legislative standing committee will now meet behind closed doors to prepare its report for the P.E.I. legislature.

But the committee will continue to hold hearings following the spring session of the provincial legislature.

The committee still wants to hear from Social Services Minister Janice Sherry.

Paula Biggar, chairwoman of the legislative standing committee, said more people want to make presentations and the MLAs are prepared to meet with those individuals.

“We’re realizing as we hear from people that there is a lot of input that people want to have in any changes or what changes might need to happen,” said Biggar. “It’s evolving into what could be a good, positive change for P.E.I.”