Liberals unveil new anti-poverty law as food bank patrons wait to eat
OTTAWA — As dozens of low-income Ottawa residents shuffled into a local food bank for a warm meal Tuesday, they were asked to wait quietly, crowded off to the sides of the room until Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos finished using their space to announce the Liberal government’s long-promised anti-poverty law.
A mother in a well-worn blue dress holding her baby was among the group. She bounced the baby on her lap as the dapper cabinet minister and his staff made their way around the Parkdale Food Centre food bank.
Duclos then stood at a podium to share his government’s plans to enshrine into law targets to reduce the rate of poverty in Canada.
These targets would see poverty rates lowered 20 per cent from 2015 levels by 2020 and 50 per cent by 2030.