Toronto— Two leading child poverty experts added their voices today to the many calling for a federal budget that will make poverty history.

At public pre-budget consultations held today, Dave Toycen, President of World Vision Canada, and Laurel Rothman, National Coordinator of Campaign 2000, asked the federal finance committee to direct budget surplus dollars to meet existing promises to increase foreign aid and end child poverty in Canada.

"Twenty children around the world die from extreme poverty every minute that we hold back aid," said Toycen. "Canada promised to give 0.7 per cent of our GNI in aid 35 years ago. We only gave about half of that last year, yet we have the largest surplus of any G8 country."

"Poverty exists because of the choices we make," continued Toycen. "It exists because our government is unwilling to invest enough in overseas social development and is providing insufficient aid. I'm asking that federal surplus money go towards meeting our funding promises to make poverty history. Canadian aid dollars need to be protected for poverty reduction. They cannot be melted into other foreign affairs priorities, like military strategy or trade diplomacy. That's what I'm asking the committee today, for the sake of the children." 

Laurel Rothman appealed to the committee to address child poverty in Canada seriously.

"Canada can ratchet down the stubbornly high rate of child poverty (1.2 million or 17.7% or almost one in six children in Canada) and make child poverty history with an active poverty reduction strategy that balances income measures and high quality services for families," said Rothman. "Let's start with increasing the National Child Benefit to a maximum of $5,000 and making sure that all low income families receive the full benefit. With suitable affordable housing and accessible early learning and childcare, families will be better positioned to enter and stay in the labour force. Good jobs and public programs are needed to ensure that all children have the opportunity to thrive not merely survive."

Canadians taxpayers are concerned about poverty issues. Make Poverty History, a coalition of 800 organizations and 225,000 individual Canadians, has lobbied the federal government for policies that will provide more and better aid internationally and end child poverty in Canada. More than 5,000 Make Poverty History supporters have made similar individual submissions to the Minister of Finance. Last week, an estimated 23 million people, including 50,000 Canadians, took part in the world's largest single public action in history: a global stand-up event to illustrate public desire to see real poverty reduction strategies from our leaders.

The coalition recognizes that poverty reduction is not a key priority for the current government, but hopes that the combination of high surplus and unprecedented public support will move policy makers.

Campaign 2000 is a cross-Canada public education movement to build Canadian awareness and support for the 1989 all-party House of Commons resolution to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000. Campaign 2000 began in 1991 out of concern about the lack of government progress in addressing child poverty. Campaign 2000 is non-partisan in urging all Canadian elected officials to keep their promise to Canada's children.

World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization whose purpose is to create lasting change in the lives of children, families and communities by overcoming poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. More than a half million Canadians fight poverty through their support of World Vision.