Introduction
PROJECT
From 2021-2024, Campaign 2000, Citizens for Public Justice and Canada Without Poverty co-led a national community-based research project that engaged communities experiencing poverty to recommend indicators measuring progress towards eradicating poverty and achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
This project, Localizing Canada’s Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals,builds on Campaign 2000’s ongoing monitoring of government progress towards ending child and family poverty, aiming to address the limitations of the Canadian Indicator Framework for tracking progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 1: No Poverty.
Through the project, the research team held 17 community conversations with 227 people affected by poverty and intersecting forms of marginalization in every province and territory. The project website hosts summaries of each community conversation.
This local framework is based on the knowledge and experiences shared by participants in the Calgary community conversation, co-hosted by PovertyTalks! and Vibrant Communities Calgary on February 22, 2023.
FINDINGS
Measurement of progress towards poverty eradication in Canada should reflect the lived realities of people experiencing poverty. The indicators used in the Canadian Indicator Framework for measuring progress towards SDG 1: No Poverty are the Market Basket Measure (MBM) and the prevalence of asset resilience.[i] Campaign 2000 report cards and early research from this project highlighted the limitations of these two indicators to track progress towards SDG 1.[ii] [iii]
The project set out to address these gaps with an emphasis on localizing measures of poverty reduction and centring the knowledge and experience of lived experts. Local visions of communities free from poverty emerged. The frameworks drawn from this research reflect participants’ subjective, multidimensional experience of poverty, which is wide-ranging, affects every aspect of life, and differs place to place and community to community. The frameworks also reflect poverty as a violation of human rights resulting in short- and long- term physical, mental, spiritual, and social harm.
These findings highlight the importance of community-based, culturally relevant, localized measures and indicators for ending poverty and the need to urgently recognize and address the systemic intersecting power structures that create and deepen inequities and experiences of poverty.
In addition to the 17 local frameworks, the findings are illustrated in a National Community-Based Indicator Framework, intended to supplement the Canadian Indicator Framework. It outlines dimensions, measures, indicators, and data sources for poverty eradication (including recommendations and gaps, where no indicators exist) that reflect the knowledge and experiences of lived experts and community organizations across the country.
While the findings depict a broad range of expertise from across the country, they remain a snapshot of 227 people, in 17 places, at one moment in time, and further engagement and community-based research is required to continue to centre lived experts in the work of poverty eradication and achieving the 2030 Agenda.
UNDERSTANDING THE FRAMEWORK
The entire framework falls under Sustainable Development Goal 1: End Poverty in All its Forms Everywhere.
The framework is organized by 12 interdependent dimensions of communities with no poverty. These dimensions are interconnected and non-hierarchical – all connect and contribute to the multifaceted way that people experience poverty in Canada. Many of the indicators could fall under multiple dimensions, but for the sake of length, they are each only shown under one.
Dimensions:
- Social inclusion and community connection
- Equality, justice, and freedom
- Joy, happiness, and hope for the future
- Income and material security
- Decent work
- Education for all
- Right to housing is realized
- Food security and sovereignty
- Health and mental health
- Equitable access to services, programs, and supports
- Connected and supported families and children
- Accountable and engaged governments and institutions
In each dimension, measures refer to qualities of communities with no poverty.
Indicators are statistical definitions of the measures.
As living documents, the local frameworks offer Example Indicators and Data Sources. The local frameworks are intended to complement the National Framework, highlight local priorities, and demonstrate opportunities for continued work in localizing measurement towards ending poverty in Canada. They are accompanied by living action recommendation documents.
Social inclusion and community connection
Community members feel valued and connected, have opportunities to participate in society and culture, care for and support each other, and live in harmony.
| Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
| Being able to contribute to your community | Example: Percentage of population that is regularly involved in neighbourhood or local community events | Calgary Equity Index |
| Feeling like you have a community | Example: Percentage of people with strong or very strong sense of belonging to community | Statistics Canada Canadian Social Survey |
| Feeling accepted in your community | ||
| Everybody has someone they can turn to for help and support | ||
| Everybody has someone to talk to | ||
| Having opportunities to meet people in your community and exchange information | ||
| Being able to share food with neighbours | ||
| Having the time and resources to make friends and spend time with them | ||
| Having opportunities to volunteer | ||
| Being able to meet people from different cultures | ||
| Feeling like your perspective and ideas are important |
Equality, justice, and freedom
Everyone’s human rights are upheld. Communities are free from systemic inequality and injustice, discrimination, oppression, violence, and trauma, and the harms of colonization.
| Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
| Everyone lives with dignity | ||
| Communities are free from judgment and stigma | ||
| Freedom from wealth and income inequality | ||
| People with privilege and wealth do not benefit from exploiting the labour and resources of others | ||
| Incarceration is not disproportionately experienced by communities with high rates of poverty | ||
| Pardons for criminal convictions are accessible |
Joy, happiness and hope for the future
Everyone is able to be happy, feel ease, and have the time and freedom to enjoy life. People have hope, can imagine the future, and don’t feel trapped in cycles of poverty and isolation.
| Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
| Everybody is happy | ||
| Having hope for the future and your children’s future | ||
| Being able to plan for the future | ||
| Communities are free from stress and worry | ||
| Being able to wake up and not worry | ||
| Not having to struggle | ||
| Freedom from desperation | ||
| Access to nature | ||
| Communities have dancing and music |
Income and material security
Incomes reflect the cost of living. People have the ability to pay all their bills, meet all their basic needs, have some flexibility to not live paycheque to paycheque, and are able to thrive.
| Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
| Everyone can meet their basic needs | Example: Census Family Low Income Measure | Statistics Canada T1 Family File |
| Being able to pay all your bills | ||
| Ability to thrive is not tied to working | ||
| Freedom from debt | ||
| Being able to save money | ||
| Having enough money for leisure activities and socializing with friends | ||
| Having enough money to access education | ||
| Incomes reflect the cost of living | ||
| Social assistance reflects the cost of living | ||
| Increased access to social assistance and benefits based on people’s lived realities and the high cost of living | ||
| Flexibility for access to social assistance and benefits based on family situations |
Decent work
People can work in jobs with a living wage, safe work conditions, opportunities for growth, and job training. Work is fulfilling and allows people to use their skills.
| Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
| Everyone can get a job | ||
| Equitable access to job opportunities, including for people with criminal records | ||
| Being able to use your skills and talents | ||
| Jobs have flexible work arrangements for parents taking care of children, especially single parents |
Education for all
Everyone has equitable access to affordable, quality education, training, and learning supports.
| Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
| Education is affordable and accessible | ||
| High schools in all communities | ||
| Being able to take classes because you want to learn and grow | ||
| Freedom from student debt | ||
| Childcare for parents attending school |
Right to housing is realized
Everyone has a home. There is adequate, affordable secure housing for all, free from discrimination, and reflecting the needs of communities and neighbourhoods.
| Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
| Everyone has a home | ||
| Housing supply meets the needs of the community and neighbourhood | ||
| Everyone has stable, secure housing in good repair | ||
| Housing and utilities are affordable | ||
| Housing prices reflect the size of the unit | ||
| There are adequate housing regulations, including a rental cap | ||
| Landlords do not exploit tenants to gain wealth | ||
| Landlords are accountable and have ethical practices (e.g., not asking for credit history from prospective tenants) | ||
| Freedom from discrimination from landlords in securing housing for people living on low incomes | ||
| Social assistance payments can go directly to landlords if the tenant wishes | ||
| Rural communities have emergency shelters | ||
| Low-income families have access to interest-free loans to buy a house | ||
| Mortgages are low barrier and allow people with low incomes to access them |
Food sovereignty and security
Everyone has access to nutritious, affordable, culturally appropriate food; the ability to hunt, harvest, grow, and share food according to cultural values; and the freedom to choose what they want to eat.
| Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
| Being able to share food with neighbours | ||
| Leftover food from stores is donated to those who need it |
Health and mental health
| Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
| Everyone has access to free health care and medication | ||
| The health care system is well-coordinated and barrier-free | ||
| Everyone has access to mental health support, including rural communities and children | ||
| Everyone has access to free dental care regardless of income or benefits | ||
| Having access to a shower | ||
| Everyone has access to a washroom | ||
| Streets and parks are clean and safe |
Equitable access to services, programs, and supports
Services and supports are accessible and coordinated, with no arbitrary bureaucratic barriers or discrimination. Community organizations are resourced and are by communities, for communities.
| Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
| Programs are no longer required because communities are self-sufficient and people are able to support each other | ||
| Grassroots peer groups are resourced and supported | ||
| Services and supports are accessible and barrier-free | ||
| Services are available in all communities | ||
| Supports have wider eligibility for people who are living close to the poverty line | ||
| Service providers believe and trust people who access their services | ||
| Everyone has access to public transit | ||
| Everyone has access to transportation | ||
| Transition and reintegration support for people who have been incarcerated | ||
| Shelters offer referrals to other local resources | ||
| Shelters have programming and activities | ||
| Food banks are barrier-free | ||
| Communities have community pantries and fridges | ||
| Food banks allow people to shop and choose their own food |
Connected and supported families and children
Families are supported to stay together and spend time together. The child welfare system is equitable, trauma-informed, and reflects needs of children and families. Everyone has access to affordable childcare.
| Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
| Everyone has access to affordable childcare at all times of day | ||
| Having a community that helps support and care for each others’ children | ||
| Children can play | ||
| Children grow up happy | ||
| Children are free from bullying | ||
| Children are free from sexual abuse | ||
| Families are free from domestic violence and abuse | ||
| Parents have close relationships with children | ||
| Being able to know where your children are | ||
| Having access to transportation to visit your children who are not living with you | ||
| Not having to choose between paying your bills and spending time with your children | ||
| Having the time and money for activities with your children | ||
| Children have opportunities to explore their skills and interests | ||
| Children can participate in sports and recreation |
Accountable and engaged governments and institutions
Governments are accountable to communities. Policy-making is community-engaged, trauma-informed, responsive, and based on local needs and values.
| Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
| Seeing governments make real change | ||
| Feeling hopeful that governments will create a decent future for your children | ||
| Governments are accountable to communities | ||
| Poverty is defined by community members | ||
| Feeling like the government cares about your wellbeing | ||
| Governments engage local communities | ||
| Governments are united in common goals | ||
| Community knowledge informs policies |
[i] Statistics Canada. (2021). The Canadian Indicator Framework for the Sustainable Development Goals. Statistics Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-26-0004/112600042021001-eng.htm
[ii] Campaign 2000. Pandemic Lessons: Ending Child and Family Poverty is Possible. February 14, 2023. https://campaign2000.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/English-Pandemic-Lessons_Ending-Child-and-Family-Poverty-is-Possible_2022-National-Report-Card-on-Child-and-Family-Poverty.pdf
[iii] Barrie, H., & Sarangi, L. (2022). Literature Review: Localizing Canada’s Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals. Campaign 2000: End Child and Family Poverty. https://sdg.campaign2000.ca/wp-content/uploads/Campaign-2000-Localizing-SDGs-Project-Literature-Review-May-2022.pdf