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 Vancouver community conversation, co-hosted by Watari: Counselling and Support Services on June 2, 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 |
| Community members are connected | Example: Percentage of people who reported a somewhat strong or very strong sense of belonging to their local community | BC Community Health Data |
| Community bonds are strong | ||
| Communities have gatherings and meetings | ||
| Everybody feels valued by the community they live in | ||
| Being seen as a human being | ||
| Having a sense of identity | ||
| Community members help each other | ||
| Everyone supports each other | ||
| Feeling like you can live up to your potential | ||
| Children can participate in activities and sports without worry | ||
| Living in harmony with others |
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 is treated equally | ||
| Everyone benefits from their rights equally | ||
| Feeling a sense of freedom | ||
| Freedom from war | ||
| Freedom from violence | ||
| Freedom from racism | ||
| Freedom from classism | ||
| Freedom from labour exploitation | ||
| Freedom from stereotypes | ||
| Everyone is respected | ||
| Everyone has status | ||
| Living and working with dignity | ||
| Equal opportunities to legal employment | ||
| Freedom from fear of discrimination and questioning by authorities | ||
| Women are paid equally to men for the same jobs | ||
| Women are free from discrimination at work | ||
| Women are free from sexual harassment at work |
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 |
| Communities are beautiful | ||
| Feeling confident in the future | ||
| Feeling happy | ||
| Feeling like you can work towards your dreams | ||
| Freedom from fear | ||
| Freedom from uncertainty |
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 feels secure | ||
| Ability to meet basic needs if you cannot work | ||
| Ability to meet basic needs if you are injured or sick | ||
| Income is not dependent on health | ||
| Incomes reflect cost of living | ||
| Freedom from worrying about survival | ||
| Freedom from debt |
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 has a stable job | ||
| Everyone can work in their field | ||
| Being able to work with dignity | ||
| People with precarious immigration status have equal access to work opportunities | ||
| People with precarious immigration status can use their skills and knowledge at work | ||
| Freedom from precarious and exploitative employment | ||
| Freedom from mistreatment or abuse at work | ||
| Everyone is paid fairly at work | Example: Minimum wage compared to living wage; wages for farm workers compared to minimum wage | BC Child and Family Poverty Report Card |
| Everyone has job protection | ||
| Jobs have paid sick time | ||
| Jobs have mechanisms for complaints and grievances | ||
| Ability to care for your children while at work | ||
| Access to job opportunities that do not require speaking English | ||
| Ability to address concerns with employer without fear of job loss | ||
| Women are paid equally to men for the same jobs | ||
| Women are free from discrimination at work | ||
| Women are free from sexual harassment at work |
Education for all
Everyone has equitable access to affordable, quality education, training, and learning supports.
| Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
| Everyone has the opportunity to have a good education | ||
| Children can go to school without fear or discrimination | ||
| Adults without status have access to education | ||
| Everyone has opportunities to learn English | ||
| Parents can drop children off at school without being questioned or worrying about immigration officials |
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 safe and secure home | ||
| Rent is affordable | ||
| Feeling confident and stable in paying rent | ||
| Freedom from homelessness |
Health and mental health
| Measure | Indicator | Data Source |
| Everyone has equal access to health care | ||
| People without status can access health care without fear | ||
| Health care is affordable for all | ||
| Freedom from stress about getting sick | ||
| Access to dental care for all | ||
| Being healthy |
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 and services are barrier-free and available to everyone | ||
| People without legal status can access food programs, housing programs, and other supports and programs | ||
| Everyone has access to services and programs without fear | ||
| Community organizations that support people without legal status are resourced and funded | ||
| Access to programs that enable legal work and study opportunities | ||
| Municipal services (garbage disposal, streetlights, etc.) are good quality in all communities | ||
| Increased access to and greater communication of Latinx recreation programs for children | ||
| Youth have access to Latinx recreation programs | ||
| Everyone has access to programs that enable socializing and self-care |
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 |
| Families are strong and connected | ||
| Parents and children can spend time together | ||
| Not feeling like you have to either sacrifice work or time with children | ||
| Parents can attend children’s activities | ||
| Ability to support family members who live elsewhere | ||
| Everyone, including people without legal status, has access to affordable childcare and daycare | ||
| Single mothers can work and care for children without worry |
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 |
| Feeling valued by the government | ||
| Feeling like your skills and contributions are valued by this country | ||
| Freedom from fear of immigration officials | ||
| Being supported by 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