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 Iqaluit community conversation, co-hosted by Amautiit Nunavut Inuit Women’s Association on March 5, 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 |
Ability to contribute to the community | Example proxy indicator: Involvement in community and activity in (First Nations/Métis/Inuit/Aboriginal) organizations, social events or cultural activities | Statistics Canada Indigenous Peoples Survey |
Being able to live by Inuit values | ||
Ability to share country food with neighbours, family, and friends | ||
Community members help each other | ||
Having the skills and traditional knowledge to go out on the land | Example: Measurement of community support for land-based livelihoods | Suggested in The Makimaniq Plan II for future data collection (p. 37) |
Elders are respected and supported |
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 |
Inuit are self-determining | ||
Inuit communities are self-governing, free from colonial government interference | ||
Freedom from intergenerational trauma and harms of colonization | ||
Freedom from intergenerational impacts of poverty | ||
Freedom from racism, including impact of racist policies | ||
Freedom from bias and discrimination against Inuit | ||
Inuit communities receive reparations to address long-lasting effects of poverty created by government policies | ||
Freedom from discrimination and stigma of experiencing poverty | ||
Freedom from stereotypes, particularly in representations of hunting and as reflected in policies | ||
Food subsidies are inclusive and reflective of Inuit needs and values, with adequate support for hunting and harvesting |
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 |
Having hope for the future | ||
Being able to envision a future without poverty or food insecurity | ||
Being able to heal from trauma | ||
Freedom from struggling | ||
Freedom from desperation |
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 thrive | ||
Everyone can meet all their basic needs | ||
Freedom from the trauma and scarcity mindset that living in poverty creates | ||
Hunters can support multiple households | ||
Incomes reflect the cost of living and different costs across communities in Nunavut | ||
Cost of living in Nunavut is equitable compared to the rest of the country | ||
Incomes are flexible and reflect changing life circumstances | ||
Freedom from worry about money | ||
Having enough money to have enough to eat | ||
Everyone has a living wage | ||
Freedom from living paycheque to paycheque | ||
Ability to save money | ||
People have enough money to meet basic needs and have spending money for leisure | ||
Being able to save enough to buy a house | ||
Hunting and harvesting country food is affordable and adequately subsidized | ||
Northern Living Allowance and other subsidies reflect the actual cost of living | ||
Social assistance and employment insurance rates reflect cost of living | ||
Social assistance staff are supportive, not punitive | ||
Social assistance is low-barrier |
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 |
Equitable access to job opportunities for Inuit | ||
Smaller communities have job opportunities for all community members | ||
Jobs pay a living wage | ||
Jobs do not arbitrarily require high levels of formal education or experience | ||
Jobs offer opportunities for advancement and growth | ||
Everyone has access to job training | ||
Ability to work a job that you want | ||
Housing security is not tied to employer |
Education for all
Everyone has equitable access to affordable, quality education, training, and learning supports.
Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
Inuit have equitable opportunities for education | ||
People have opportunities for education outside colonial school system | ||
Graduation rates are high | ||
School attendance rates are high | ||
Students are supported to meet their basic needs, including food, internet, counselling | ||
Schools are resourced to support high attendance rates (enough teachers, supplies, classrooms, etc.) | ||
Children and youth learn life skills, emotional skills, language, and culture | ||
Youth have access to financial literacy and budgeting training in school | ||
Schools support diverse learning styles | ||
Schools have breakfast and lunch programs | ||
Education adequately prepares youth for desired post-secondary and work opportunities | ||
Everyone has access to opportunities for skill development, both for business and for wellness |
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 affordable, sufficient, and safe housing | ||
Housing supply reflects needs and size of population | ||
Housing is not overcrowded and unit size reflects number of people living there | ||
Being able to save enough to buy a house | ||
Housing policies account for subsidies and do not allow for higher rent due to subsidies | ||
There are no waitlists for public housing | ||
Housing security is not tied to employer | ||
Access to emergency shelters for everyone who needs them | ||
Shelters support people to transition to stable housing |
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 |
Everyone always has enough to eat | ||
Ability to share country food with neighbours, family, and friends | ||
Ability to choose what you want to eat | ||
Children are free from hunger | ||
Everyone can eat traditional foods | ||
Elders receive good quality country food | ||
Hunters can support multiple households | ||
Nutritious and culturally appropriate food is more accessible and affordable than processed food with low nutritional value | ||
Programs supporting hunting reflect its wide-ranging significance and benefit (nutrition, cultural enrichment, training for youth, transferable skills, etc.) | ||
Youth are taught how to hunt according to Inuit practices | ||
Food subsidies are inclusive and reflective of Inuit needs and values, with adequate support for hunting and harvesting | ||
Food and shipping subsidies are equitable across communities | ||
Nobody needs to use a food bank | ||
Having enough money to order food in bulk | ||
Having enough space in your home to store food in bulk |
Health and mental health
Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
Freedom from suicide | Example of forthcoming indicators/data for this dimension: Qanuippitaa? National Inuit Health Survey | |
Everyone has regular access to culturally relevant and trauma-informed counselling | ||
Counsellors are from the communities they support | ||
Counsellors are adequately trained to support patients with intergenerational trauma | ||
Freedom from drug and alcohol addiction | ||
Freedom from overdose or toxic drug deaths | ||
Freedom from the negative health impacts of hunger and food insecurity |
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 |
Services and programs have enough resources and stable staff and meet their own delivery and capacity needs | ||
Services, programs, and supports have low staff turnover and remain consistent and sustainable | ||
Access to programs and supports for new entrepreneurs | ||
Access to support navigating and accessing funding opportunities | ||
Social assistance program is low-barrier and supportive | ||
All communities have food banks | ||
Schools have breakfast and lunch programs | ||
Programs supporting hunting reflect its wide-ranging significance and benefit (nutrition, cultural enrichment, training for youth, transferable skills, etc.) | ||
Food subsidies are inclusive and reflective of Inuit needs and values, with adequate support for hunting and harvesting | ||
Food and shipping subsidies are equitable across communities |
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 |
Parents receive enough money to support their children, rather than foster parents receiving that money after child apprehension | ||
Families are free from violence that results from poverty and poor living conditions, such as hunger and overcrowding | ||
Single parents are able to make ends meet and spend time with children | ||
Youth have people to teach them how to hunt | ||
Children have safe places to go | ||
Children and youth do not have to work to support their families |
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 |
Inuit are self-determining and self-governing | ||
Inuit and lived experts are in positions of power | ||
Governments are proactive and address root causes of issues | ||
Seeing change happen | ||
Historical policies that created and sustain poverty are changed and their harms are meaningfully repaired | ||
Governments recognize that poverty is multifaceted and needs to be addressed from all angles | ||
Policies reflect different needs of different communities | ||
Having confidence that future generations won’t have to keep having these conversations | ||
Data on poverty reflects realities of communities and local understandings of poverty | ||
Data is collected by communities, for communities |
[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