Vibrant Communities Calgary

PC Leadership Candidates Talk Poverty Reduction

*updated post from September 8

The leadership race began with the first ballot September 17 (narrowing the field to the top 3) and continues with the second ballot on October 1. We know that many of you plan to vote on October 1 and that you care about reducing poverty in the province. We are re-posting responses about a poverty reduction strategy from the 3 top candidates in the race to help inform your decision.

In Calgary on Wednesday, September 8 at the Progressive Conservative leadership forum, candidates vying for the job of Alberta’s next premier, at least until the next provincial election, were asked the following: “Many of you have failed to commit to implementing a Provincial Poverty Reduction Strategy; what do you say to the 400,000 Albertans currently living in poverty who need your help?”

We have drafted our ideal response to the question above and have summarized the candidates’ responses below. You can also PC Leadership Forum from the forum; the Poverty Reduction Strategy question and responses start at 123:25.

When we compare about our ideal response with the candidates’ responses, there was a clear difference among the candidates. No one gave a perfect answer of course but it was clear that some are closer than others to grasping the urgency and importance of implementing a poverty reduction strategy for the province. We hope that this has been helpful in illuminating where the candidates stand on poverty reduction in the province and that it is helpful in your decision-making.

Elements of our ideal response would contain all of the following:

• Commitment to a Provincial Poverty Reduction Strategy that addresses the root causes of poverty
• Recognition that an effective strategy must be developed in consultation –particularly with people experiencing poverty
• An understanding that a collaborative approach to reducing poverty – working across ministries and including the non-profit sector and the for-profit sector – is the best way to tackle the problem
• A commitment to collaborate with municipalities on reducing poverty
• Reference to a funding commitment from the provincial government
• Knowledge that poverty affects some groups disproportionately: new immigrants, single moms, First Nations, and persons with disabilities
• Acknowledgement that reducing poverty is an investment in our province and its people that generates a return
• A clear statement that in a province as wealthy as Alberta, 400,000 people in poverty in unacceptable

Candidates’ Responses In Order they Answered:

Gary Mar:

Mar suggested that we can create employability and circumstances where people can be on medications for mental illness and substance abuse, IF they have homes. “You can’t deal with the issue of poverty until you deal with some core issues like homelessness.” Mar then focused his comments on the Aboriginal population indicating that they lead in many areas that they do not want to, including poverty.

Allison Redford:

Redford committed a succinct “yes” to a poverty reduction strategy as a very specific policy that has been adopted by every other province. She indicated that a poverty reduction strategy helps government think differently about social policy to ensure we are reducing poverty for people living in poverty. She sees importance in integrated planning around housing, education, mental illness, addictions and the justice system. She concluded her comments by saying “lets not be afraid to call it…a poverty reduction strategy and I am committed to that”.

Doug Horner:

Horner says that a poverty reduction strategy needs to be adopted by all departments of government to stop silo thinking in the same way that was done with the Homelessness strategy. He also indicated that it is not enough that “we just put in a home” – the government needs to implement an Alberta Mental Health Strategy and to ensure that there are opportunities for training and education that are properly resourced so that we maximize the return.