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 Ulukhaktok community conversation, co-hosted by Tahiuqtiit Women’s Society on February 15, 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 share food with your community | ||
Being able to share food with elders | ||
Being able to hunt and harvest | Example: Percentage of Inuit 15+ who hunt and/or fish in the Inuvialuit settlement region. | NWT Bureau of Statistics. 2022. “Community Surveys – Combined (1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019).” GNWT. |
Being able to live in alignment with Inuit values |
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 |
Communities have equitable prices for basic needs compared to other regions in Canada | Example: NWT Food Price Index | NWT Bureau of Statistics. 2022. “Food Price Survey.” NWT. |
Corporations are accountable to northern communities and treat Inuit fairly | Example: Corporations give back to communities |
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 |
Being able to meet all your basic needs | ||
Being able to pay all your bills | ||
Everyone has enough money and resources to hunt and harvest | ||
Cost of living is equitable compared to the rest of the country | ||
Incomes reflect the cost of living | ||
Social assistance reflects the cost of living | ||
Minimum wage is a living wage that grows with inflation | ||
Elders do not have to use their incomes to supplement the incomes of others |
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 |
People in small communities have jobs | ||
Minimum wage is a living wage that grows with inflation |
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 adequate housing in good condition |
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 has enough to eat | ||
Being able to hunt and harvest | ||
Everyone can share food without financial worry | ||
Elders have enough to eat, including country food | ||
Being able to eat healthy food | ||
Being able to afford food | ||
Ability to purchase equipment, gas, and supplies for hunting without financial worry | ||
Food prices are equitable compared to the rest of the country | ||
Communities receive good quality, fresh food from supply flights | ||
Schools have good quality lunch programs | ||
Children have enough to eat at school | ||
People have access to emergency food hampers and food banks when needed |
Health and mental health
Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
Everyone has regular access to a doctor | ||
Feeling like you are receiving good quality health care | ||
Everyone has access to mental health care | ||
People are supported to have good mental health (culturally appropriate services, other basic needs met) | ||
Communities are free from suicide |
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 |
All children have access to school lunch programs |
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 are free from worry about sending children to school hungry |
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 involved in decision-making, programs, and policies that affect their communities | ||
Poverty reduction policies and measurements reflect realities of northern Inuit communities | ||
Governments follow through on action to reduce poverty |
[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