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 Toronto community conversation, co-hosted by Family Service Toronto – Options Program on April 12, 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 help others in your community | ||
| People are friendly to each other | ||
| Children can participate in recreation programs | ||
| Being able to go to the library |
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 |
| Freedom from discrimination for people with disabilities | ||
| Government funding prioritizes meeting people’s human rights | ||
| Wealth and income is distributed equitably | ||
| Service providers treat people with disabilities with respect | ||
| Stores and services are accessible, including physically accessible | ||
| Accessible housing is widely available and affordable | Percentage of municipally owned social and affordable housing assets that is barrier free, by urban and rural, and by population size, Infrastructure Canada | Statistics Canada, Canada’s Core Infrastructure Survey |
| First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples are free from poverty | ||
| First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples are free from systemic inequalities |
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 |
| Freedom from suffering | ||
| Being able to experience beauty | ||
| Access to nature and gardens | ||
| Access to art |
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 | Low Income Measure, disaggregated | Statistics Canada, Census of Population |
| Governments and institutions ensure people can meet their basic needs | ||
| Disability assistance reflects the cost of living, including additional disability-related expenses | ||
| Social assistance reflects the cost of living | ||
| Having enough money to live in the city or neighbourhood of your choice |
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 and volunteer opportunities for people with disabilities | ||
| People with disabilities are supported to find work | ||
| Jobs pay a living wage |
Education for all
Everyone has equitable access to affordable, quality education, training, and learning supports.
| Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
| Education is affordable | ||
| Being able to take art classes |
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 |
| Accessible housing is widely available and affordable | ||
| There is no wait list for affordable housing | ||
| Everyone has a home | ||
| Supportive housing is well-maintained and prompt with repairs | ||
| Housing providers are responsive and prompt with accessibility-related concerns | ||
| Being able to live in the city or neighbourhood of your choice | ||
| Rent is affordable | ||
| Affordable housing supply reflects needs and size of population |
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 |
| Families can afford to buy nutritious food | ||
| Everybody has enough food | ||
| Food banks let you shop and choose your own food |
Health and mental health
| Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
| Everyone is mentally healthy | ||
| Health care is preventative, including for drug use and mental health | ||
| Everyone has access to affordable, timely mental health care | ||
| Ambulances come when you call them | ||
| Freedom from suicide | ||
| Freedom from overdose or toxic drug deaths | ||
| Freedom from fear of overdose or toxic drug death | ||
| Everyone has access to harm reduction supplies | ||
| People are trained in overdose prevention and have Narcan on hand | ||
| Having someone to talk to when you decide you want to quit drugs | ||
| Everyone has access to treatment and recovery programs for substance use or addiction | ||
| Streets and playgrounds are free from needles | ||
| Access to recovery or treatment support for drug or alcohol use is immediately accessible when you reach out for help |
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 |
| People with disabilities have access to support workers | ||
| People with disabilities have access to supportive housing | ||
| People with disabilities have access to programs that help with big payments | ||
| Support workers are kind and friendly | ||
| Children have access to recreation programs |
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 action from the government | ||
| Feeling like the government understands the severity of people’s suffering | ||
| Feeling like the government cares about your community | ||
| People with lived experience of poverty are in positions of power | ||
| Government spending reflects community needs | ||
| Government funding prioritizes meeting people’s human rights | ||
| Governments are accountable and don’t try to shift the blame | ||
| Freedom from discrimination from the government |
[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