Homework hell

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This will come as a surprise to many who know me (but not to those who know me REALLY WELL), but I’ve had to work really hard to gain back my self-esteem. Granted, it’s been a long time since I’ve become my former confident self, once again.

So it really burns me when something happens that takes me back to a place of doubting myself. How is it that a teacher who has known my child less than a month can bring me there, with one short phone call? I know it’s not her intention, but it’s truly where my head goes.

I don’t even want to get into the homework discussion right now, that’s a topic I am determined to write a poignant well-researched and targeted article about. But what’s burning me is that if homework is an issue for my 9 year old, it’s my fault. She doesn’t get it done because I don’t make it our priority. Sure, it’s her work, but how many 9 year olds will choose homework over biking? Homework over playing with the neighborhood kids? Homework over gymnastics club? Homework over Harry Potter? Homework over time with her mom? Homework over… well, anything?

If homework is going to get done, it will be because I, “the parent”, am disciplined enough to ask my child upon walking in the door (at whatever time of day that might be, but that’s another discussion for another day about today’s family obligations) “what’s for homework”? And it will get done because I, “the parent”, establish an expectation of her getting it done over doing anything else.

I’ll save my opinion of what takes priority in my house for another article. This one is about me, and my self-esteem. When my child feels bad about herself for not getting her homework done when the teacher does her rounds, it’s a reflection on me and what a poor mother I am.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not taking this to heart. I don’t hold myself up to some standard set by the teacher of the day (or year, in this case). But I resent the expectation that this is somehow my responsibility. So, if the only real purpose to these exercises are to form “good habits”, if my daughter is too young to form this habit completely independently, then is she really learning anything from it? Well, yes she is. She’s learning that her teacher and her mom are in cahoots and that if she wants to feel good about herself, her mom needs to make her sit down and do pointless repetitive exercises so that she can go to school and say “yes’M I got my homework done!”

Just whose self-esteem are we really talking about here?

Filed Under: Advocacy, Parenting Tagged With: , , , ,

Infinite ways everyday people can Be The Change

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Infinite ways everyday people can Be The Change:

I’m really hoping people will help me out and add times to this list, anything and everything that creates small, medium or huge impact qualifies. Let’s be creative and come up with ways that every single one of us can make change happen in this world!

  • Buy local
  • Run for office
  • Support candidates in election campaigns
  • Join a political riding association
  • Vote
  • Eat organic
  • Eat less meat
  • Boycott bottled water
  • Attend a rally
  • Organize a rally
  • Sign a petition
  • Organize a petition
  • Join a community group
  • Advocate on behalf of someone
  • write a letter to the editor
  • write your elected representative(s)
  • write the Prime Minister
  • Write the department minister
  • Bike to work
  • Walk to work
  • Take transit to work
  • Telecommute
  • Volunteer with children’s groups
  • Volunteer for community organizations
  • Give positive feedback
  • Give constructive Criticism
  • Speak up!
  • Speak out!
  • Make charitable donations
  • Read
  • Be active
  • Turn off the lights
  • Turn down the heat
  • Convert to eco-friendly energy sources
  • Reduce consumption
  • Buy used
  • Recycle
  • Quit smoking
  • Eat healthy
  • Fundraise for a cause
  • Do a charity run/walk/ride

…

Please, let’s keep this list growing…

Make a comment with your ways to Be The Change!

Filed Under: Advocacy Tagged With: , , ,

rich white guys in boardrooms who think they can end poverty?

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(Article aptly titled, and inspired by a good friend and fellow caring citizen).

Have you ever sat in a board room and observed a bunch of wealthy, Caucasian, Anglosaxon men (and a handful of women, and non-white, and non-Anglo wealthy people) talking Poverty?

It wasn’t long ago I had the incredible learning experience of a not-so-off-the-mark event such as this.

It was an opening session meeting of the Parliamentary committee of HUMA. Parliament had just reconvened which meant every committee had to hit reset, and set a “new” agenda for the session. This meeting included a short discussion of what Bills were not scrapped when Parliament was prorogued (all Private Members Bills survive), and other projects that were on the committee’s portfolio.

I sat in as a staff observer while completing my social work field placement shadowing Megan Leslie, MP for Halifax, NS. It was an experience, to put it mildly. I had the great fortune of being prepped with some of the preliminary work put into the theatrics of attempting to have a Bill passed. I was also able to follow some of the work to be done in preparing for the committee actually addressing the Bill on the agenda in forthcoming weekly meetings. This wasn’t just any Bill. This was the Bill C304: An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians (A National Housing Strategy). From a social worker’s perspective, this was exciting stuff. From a New Democrat Member of Parliament’s perspective (who sat as the Housing & Homelessness critic for her party), this was exciting stuff.

Now I must say this was not a dramatic sort of meeting. The theatrics were all in the background. Who is on side? Who do we need to get on side? Who is never going to be on side no matter how hard we aim to persuade them? What must be done to address some of the outstanding issues that might prevent this ever passing 2nd (then 3rd) reading in the House? It is a lot of jumping through hoops, and I learned in what ways citizens’ voices can have some effect on legislation.

Another item on the agenda that was discussed (in somewhat greater length) at this preliminary meeting was that of a report being prepared by the committee, on Poverty. It’s a project that’s been ongoing for considerable time (2-3 years?), and is near completion, but for a few important areas that need further fleshing out. It all SOUNDS quite fantastic. But when I tried to wrap my head around it, I could only imagine the expense of sending this team of Parliamentarians on a field trip to get a better grasp of the depths of poverty in our aboriginal communities. That money could be so much better spent. And to what end? First, it would seem to me that the order of events was all wrong. Shouldn’t the field trip frame the research? And what exactly will be accomplished once this magnificent multi-hundred page document is released?

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for peer education. I’m all for public and political awareness raising. I believe that coming from fellow elected officials and being submitted by an (albeit multi-partisan) committee of this Conservative government there is some healthy ammo for us activist types to use when arguing for the need for our government, our nation, to step up and DO something about our own country’s despicable situation. However, will the government themselves take any initiative to DO something? Is there any chance that we will finally make even minute progress on that commitment to end child poverty (by the year 2000) in Canada that our nation made more than 20 years ago? I have my doubts.

I want to see our governments, at all levels, put their money where their mouth is and walk the talk.

Sitting in this room, listening to all of these wealthy and powerful white men discuss the need to get their hands dirty, left me feeling just a little disgraced. The children of our nation don’t need more reports to prove their needs are worthy. They need action, and swiftly.

*If you want to have a voice, contact your Member of Parliament and express your support for Bill C304: An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians, as well as Bill C-545: An Act to Eliminate Poverty in Canada, presented in June and at 1st reading this session.

Filed Under: Advocacy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Rape, child pornography, death, poverty and ignorance. A slow news day?

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I’m not sure what news had the greater effect on me in the last 24 hrs. The Maple Ridge gang rape of a 16 year old girl that was photographed and posted to Facebook (this is child porn by the way), the cyclist killed on the highway in New Brunswick, or this story of the US Senate Minority leader who wouldn’t know suffering if it were to knock him across the head with a 2 by 4.

The gang rape is disturbing on so many levels. A young girl drugged and raped by a group of malicious asses, another malicious ass photographing the scene and posting it all over facebook so that this young girl can be re-victimized every time the photo is viewed, shared, and downloaded, and the fact that kids were chuckling at the situation on the news. People don’t understand that once you put something out on the interweb, there’s no return. You can delete it from its original source, but you can’t take it out of every inbox, hard drive it’s been downloaded to, or new source its been posted.

But what has our world come to when classmates are giggling on national television, claiming that it wasn’t really rape?! How do we get our children’s innocence back? How do we ever go back to a day when any sort of violence, especially sexual was a shameful thing for any child to witness, let alone be party to? Will we ever be able to teach the youth of society what a healthy sexual act or relationship is again?! I despair.

I have two children who will soon come of age. As much as I aim to protect, inform and educate my children, I cannot change how their so-called friends interact with them outside of my home (even within it, I’m afraid). There is a desperate need for a major shift in thinking and fast!

The cyclist / truck accident is sad. I wish I could say it were surprising, but so far this season there has been at least one major fatality / month that was most likely attributed to a driver not respecting the cyclists space and rights to be on the road. The greatest trajedy is that these tragic events result in a slew of hate-messages from anti-cyclist citizens who can’t take a moment to consider the full picture.

And finally I must address the statement made by the US Senate Minority leader that people of incomes higher than $250 000 (that’s two hundred and fifty thousand dollars!!!! annually!!!) were hardest hit by the recession.

Angela Glover Blackwell wrote a poignant article about the true depths of poverty as a result of the recession in the United States of America. It is shocking really. I don’t care how much money in relation to their pre-recession income an individual has lost, if they have not gone from having the ability to feed their family, to a state of survival in which everyday is a worry as to how their children will be fed, a roof kept over their heads, medical bills paid… then they haven’t a leg to stand on with this claim of hardship.

How does a man in the position Mitch McConnell is in have the nerve to make such a statement? Even if (and I’m really stretching to give the man the benefit of the doubt here) he actually understands the depths of poverty and how the real buying power of each dollar for someone in poverty is so significantly less than the same dollar in a high earners’ hand.. even if. How could he be so stupid as to say such a thing?

It is news days like this that I feel compelled to find a way that I personally can have some significant effect and see change as a result of my efforts. I am still at a loss for what my strategy should be.

Filed Under: Advocacy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

How must we be catalysts for change?

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I often speak out about issues. I share my opinion on the smallest and biggest things, especially when I get the impression that those around me are not informed about them. I stick to my values, but am also willing to learn from others if they have insights/perspectives I am unfamiliar with or have not considered.

I believe that as members of society it is our duty to look out for others, as well as ourselves. There is a balance that must be maintained, and sometimes shifted, between individual rights and the collective. More than anything I think people simply need to share their opinions and not allow themselves to be silenced. My position in society allows me significant power in certain circumstances, and it is my duty at those times to use my power to assist others to make a shift.

I often share with my friends (i.e. on Facebook and Twitter) news updates, articles and research, as well as events planned in efforts to effect change around issues that I feel passionately about. These issues are far-reaching, as my ultimate vision is that of a society/world where communities are sustainable, power and wealth are distributed such that no one suffers, and that everyone has a voice.

A friend once complained to me about the items that I post. I responded that he didn’t have to read them. They are posted on my own profile/wall/feed, I wasn’t singling him out and posting them on his wall. He didn’t have to follow me. At some point he “de-friended” me. This is okay. I don’t wish to be a burden to him, and I believe that the friends that I have real connections with aren’t troubled by my passion for social justice.

As I see it if I’m not speaking out about the things that I care about/value, then why would anyone listen to my suggestion that they should?

What ways can we as individuals in society be catalysts for change? How do you get involved in your community? Do you write letters to the editor? Or government representatives? Speak out to your friends? Neighbors? Support your local representative, or candidate in the next election? Attend rallies?

What issues are you passionate about? Are your passionate about domestic violence? Early childhood education? Environmental issues? Homelessness? Copyright? Political reform? Women’s equality? Racism?

I’d love to hear examples of how you are acting to effect change in society.

Filed Under: Advocacy Tagged With: , , , ,

Women in politics – oh, the horror!

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One female MP recently announced at a Liberal women’s caucus roundtable discussion on women’s issues that she didn’t believe there was such a thing as “Women’s Issues” – that all issues transcend everyone, i.e. there are family issues, etc. My head started spinning, did I walk into a Conservative Caucus meeting by mistake? Hello!? What are we HERE for?

The people around the table were invited to there share their priorities and stories, putting women’s issues in our province into perspective. Most felt appreciative of being given the opportunity. Everyone took advantage to varying degrees of the chance to put their priorities on the table. We applauded the efforts of the MP’s, and some expressed the need to know what would be done with the information that was shared, and how the caucus would move forward from there.

I left the meeting with a bad taste in my mouth, because of the individual previously mentioned, and another whose one small comment reinforced why the first’s ignorance at women’s (and people’s in general) issues are so significant. I couldn’t help but feel dismay that such an individual could have ever been elected in the first place.

I don’t wish to point fingers, as there was much about the process that could be beneficial and have no desire to jeopardize that. Yet, it is exactly the kind of language and underlying values offered by this “community leader” that we must be careful of. We’re all guilty of making hurtful statements at times, sometimes without realizing, sometimes recklessly, sometimes in a moment of error. I can only hope that most of us look back in reflection and realize that we could have handled ourselves differently.

It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when I heard, during a discussion about engaging women in the political process, the response to one recount of a female MP’s experiences of sexism on Parliament Hill being adamantly discounted by this questionable Member of Parliament. “Party policies” of “assessing individuals on merit” aside, Ottawa truly is a sexist Boy’s Club. I witnessed it myself during a week long visit on the Hill in March of this year. Things may have come along way since the first female MP was elected, but we’re nowhere near free of sexism.

I wished that my ears deceived me when during this meeting I was certain I heard one MP (and female at that) call another female MP a “twinkie” (in said roundtable on women’s issues, no less). Or when a male MP asked me if I thought the female MP I was shadowing was liked for frequent media spots “because she’s smart, or because she’s beautiful?” I couldn’t help but cringe. Would we hear comments like that about the men?

These are very small examples of the way we treat women in politics. Women who make huge sacrifices to serve our nation and try to effect change. We wonder why more women don’t get into politics? We wonder why women don’t bother to vote? Sometimes we wonder why women even speak out.

This same ignorant female MP who has her head in the sand about the sexist nature of politics and about the unique issues women face, also demonstrated her intolerant and ignorant views of multiculturalism. She spoke of her desire to ASSIMILATE and integrate the residents and citizens of Canada who originate from other nations. She suggested their choice of wearing hijabs (as one example) was a cultural tradition that should be discouraged within Canada. Her vision would be that they accept the western ways. And this woman offered these examples to portray the differences between her urban Toronto riding from the far less diverse Nova Scotia ridings – that her issues were not the same. While we certainly are not experiencing the challenges of such issues as “honor killings”, I hope Nova Scotians and their elected representatives are much more accepting, welcoming and able to embrace the beauty of all the cultural differences within our communities, as I believe them to be.

How on earth did did this woman come to represent her diverse riding? Were the voters aware of her aspirations toward a nation that embraces only Western traditions, or her ignorance of unique issues of different groups? Or did only those who support her views turn out to vote?

Filed Under: Advocacy, General Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Formerly hot and ever-so-powerful!

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If for no other reason than to support Stephanie Dolgoff for writing a book that stirred up this kind of energy and lead ignoramuses like BB (comments on Steph’s blog here) to show himself for what a despicably insecure idiot he can be, I will be buying a copy of her book My Formerly Hot Life.

At the age of 35 (and looking good for my 35 years, I might add), according to BB, I am now on the slippery downhill slope to zero value. Huh!

Wow. Aside from the “power” I supposedly experienced as a younger self who was hot and well – young, I can think of far greater value that women like myself have experienced that are certainly worth celebrating, and offer a little reason for grieving the formerly hot life in a way… Being of the prime age for reproduction, as a for instance, is a responsibility that once was considered by other ignorant individuals of society to be the only real value of a young woman. And however much we lament the suggestion today that young women have no other value than their looks and their abilities to procreate with greater biological odds, women – the life givers, the carriers of the next generation DO become far more powerful as they age, just as do some men.

Ask any child what sort of value their mother has, and they can put into the simplest of words and expressions the most complex concept: that their 35plus-year-old-mother rocks this world! And for those women who have not yet had children by the time they reach that magical number of 35, whether by choice or otherwise, women (like the ever powerful man) become more powerful in their financial assets and ability to provide for their families, selves and society as they age. Yep, you heard me right BB, women also earn higher incomes, and accumulate greater knowledge as they age – and will continue to do so.

However, to suggest that women in general EVER had power and privilege surpassing that of men at any stage of their lives is a farce. How many women (young or otherwise) do we see elected to powerful positions? Yet we make up more than half of the overall population. How many women continue to work for less pay than that of their male counterparts in the exact same level of work? I suspect, if we were to look closely at women before the age of 35 in comparison to men of the same, and again at women over 35 compared to men of the same, we will find that the income gap is smaller in the older group than the younger. What power is there in that for young women?

As for the suggestion that young women hold such power that men that will go to war over them/us… is that act of war not in fact more an expression of the man’s power over the woman and desire to possess rather than celebrate her? Speaking from my own experiences, men who behaved in such manner were as far from my younger formerly hot self as I could keep them.

Filed Under: Advocacy, General Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

“Blog-storming” a life plan

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“Blog-storming” a life plan

Forming a plan. Not as easy as it sounds. I had this fantastic idea last night, that I just need to sit down and truly plan what I want out of my life. Hell!? Where do I begin? Short term? Long term? What aspect of my life? This isn’t a new idea I had, I’ve talked about it many times before. What makes me think THIS TIME, I can come up with something that makes sense and is doable?

I really don’t think that, but I know I must believe it. I am so tired of floundering and considering my options and my million interests and my assets… and my limitations.

Getting started

So, where do I begin? The big vision? Here’s an attempt: One day I hope to see myself with security, with a good quality of life where I need not worry about the future. Having been a mom and a woman making sacrifices for my family and my ideologies, I have very little in the way of a nest egg. I haven’t socked away a big savings, nor established a promising investment for my retirement years, or my children’s future. I would like to see myself able to travel where I choose, when I choose and how I choose. I would like to see myself able to provide the kind of support my family might need, in whatever form that might take. I want to be confident I can take care of life’s surprises, including my (and my family’s) health as well as humanly possible. I want to know that I contribute to a better, more equitable society.

While I’ve always had a lot of ideas of ways I’d like to contribute to society through my career and benevolence, I know that deep down I’d like to find a way to do that while self-employed. Yet, I do not feel confident taking the full-blown plunge into self-sufficiency (i.e. leaving my job and opening a business). However, I have taken the first step towards making it possible, by securing a part-time job in my field that leaves me with time for my family and my other interests and endeavours. Now what is the next step? How/when do I know to take the plunge into a sea of possibilities and unknowns?

Prioritize

What are my dreams? Realistic options? My priorities? And in what order do I pursue them?

Here’s an in-exhaustive list:
Master’s degree
Social business: bookswap & fair trade coffee
Help to establish a Not-for-profit childcare facility (or lobby for public daycare)
Consulting/freelancing
Politics
Travel
Gardening
Sustainable home (eco-friendly & efficient)
Involved parenting
Significant role in a cause that I’m passionate about
Physical fitness
Entrepreneurship/self-employment
Advocacy/activism
Accomplishment of at least one of my hobbies/interests (photography; learning another language; musical instruments; etc.)
an orderly, yet comfortable home
…

What comes first?

What are the immediate priorities for me? I don’t see this as numbered in a sequential order, but more organic in nature. Parenting is at the top of the list to be certain – and with this means juggling the unique needs of a family that is non-traditional: 4.5 years separated/soon-to-be-divorced; and shared custody with their military dad who lives in a neighboring province. Self-employment is something I’d like to begin working towards, and think some of my other dreams fit in towards realizing this (i.e. consulting/freelancing). Advocacy/activism is inherent in my life, but I would like to make it a bigger part of what I do outside of my job – it’s time to assess where my greatest passions are. Physical fitness has to be one of the top priorities. Self care is of course a priority. Aside from my physical health, I acknowledge the need to make time for me. I will pick just one activity to pursue further, a little bit at a time – photography.

Down the road

Where does that leave some of the other dreams? The Master’s degree is something I’d like to pursue sooner, rather than later. I can table this consideration to a slightly later date – deadlines for Canadian Universities are somewhere around December or later for entry into the Fall 2011 start cohort. The social business, may or may not happen – something to keep in my back pocket for now. The childcare centre may fall into the advocacy work that I want to do, or may be something to consider becoming involved with down the road. Consulting/freelancing could easily be an avenue for some of my top priorities and should be a strong consideration for immediate future/present work. Politics is definitely a down-the-road consideration for personal participation, but again could fall in with some advocacy work in the near future. Travel is always something I do, if only in small ways (i.e. daytrips & short vacations). One day when I do not have two young children whose lives would be so greatly disrupted, this will move up on the list of priorities. Gardening can happen when we find the time/money to make some changes to our property. For now, I make small progress in the bits that currently exist. A sustainable home is something that we take baby steps toward everyday. We do the manageable pieces like recycling, changing light bulbs and turning off lights, flushing selectively, etc. One day I’d like to make a bigger investment into equipment that will allow us to reduce our footprint far more substantially. This too will have to wait until we have the financial resources to pursue it further. Playing a significant role in a cause that I’m passionate about, will happen as my advocacy work unfolds. At some point, I will know that I am really making a difference. First I need to find my focus. Accomplishment of at least one of my hobbies/interests is something I can make small steps towards, but I may need to table the really big work until a later stage in my life. Having an orderly, yet comfortable home is something I am continuously trying to achieve. I never feel like I’m “there”, but do feel like there have been big steps in the right direction. With so many other interests, I just have to accept this will never entirely be, without the financial means to hire someone else to maintain it for me. 🙂

So not exactly a plan, but the first step in forming one. After a short break, I will come back to this (today) to try to eek one out.

To recap, my main focuses will be (in no particular order): parenting; becoming self-employed; activism; physical fitness; and hobby: photography.

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Drop me a note in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter @ceilidhontherun or email me at trish at trishblogs dot com!

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Filed Under: Advocacy, General, Parenting Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

We must start to give a damn!

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Considering sending this to our local paper(s) as a Letter to the Editor type piece.  I would value feedback to help me polish it up:

We must stop paying lip-service to caring and giving, like we all do. Sure we believe we live in a fantastic city, province, country and society where we all care about one another. But is this really true? Do you care about your neighbors? …regardless of whether they live the same lifestyle as you?

I’m not just talking the neighbors next-door to your stable home, but the neighbors you see when you walk/bike/drive down the street, the neighbors who work near you, the neighbors you see on a daily basis and look right through.

Do you care about the people who aren’t related to you? Do you care about those who practice different cultural traditions? Do you care about the people whose skin color is different? Whose native tongue is not the same? Do you care about the neighbors of varying abilities? Do you care about those who are unemployed? How about those struggling to get by on social assistance? Do you care about the homeless?

I want you to really think about this for a minute. We all say we care. We say we live in a society where no one should have to go without the basic necessities of life. Not all of us agree that society should look after one another. But we all seem to agree that we wouldn’t want our children, grandchildren, parents, siblings, grandparents, or even friends to go without.

Yet, still 1 in 10 children in Canada have lives that feel the direct impact of poverty.

There are a lot of groups out there lobbying government to provide better support to help eliminate poverty, to help children break the cycle and get a start in life. However, I maintain that until citizens as a whole understand and view poverty and those effected by it with compassion, until we all take a stand and say “ENOUGH!” governments will not do enough. I know it’s often difficult to believe, but our government can do very little if it is not the will of the people.

Why must we make it our will to eliminate poverty?

I recently read a memoir of a child of poverty, named Tiny. Her book “Criminal of Poverty” gives a very clear picture of how it is next to impossible to climb out of the depths of poverty when growing up homeless in America. The deeper the depths, the harder it is.

Not having lived it, I can only imagine. When I think back on times when I was struggling to make ends meet, and how stressful it was to not be able to pay the bills, I recall just how much of my energy was drained of me. To be without food, housing, healthcare, etc. could only leave me entirely without energy or time to do anything. Being consumed with thoughts of where the next meal is coming from, how I am going to keep a roof over my family’s head one more month, week, night… Then to further escalate that with additional requirements for those I care for, I can only fathom the despair I might feel.

It is a documented fact that poverty breeds health issues, in a BIG, BIG way. It is the number one determinant of health. We MUST find a way to end the cycle and make a better life for our next generations.

Just consider if that person you walk so quickly past while turning your other cheek were your daughter or son, mother or father… and that the stranger walking by not giving a damn were someone other than you. Would you not hope, that someone for just an instance would see your loved one as a human being with needs that they are simple unable to meet, for whatever reason that may have befallen them? Would you not be grateful to that stranger for offering your loved one a hand up? Even so much as a hot drink, a kind word, or perhaps something much much more substantial?

Next time you walk on by, remember the person you see right through, has loved ones who only want the best for them too.

A concerned citizen,

Trish McCourt, BSW, SWC

Filed Under: Advocacy, Books, General Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Social workers would like to see more in the budget to support Nova Scotians in need

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http://www.citizenweekly.com/Opinion/2010-04-15/article-1011670/Social-workers-would-like-to-see-more-in-the-budget-to-support-Nova-Scotians-in-need/1

To the editor,

While the 2010-2011 Nova Scotia provincial budget includes some positive changes, the Nova Scotia Association of Social Workers is concerned that, during tough economic times, we are not doing more for those in the greatest need. There is little in the budget for the priority groups identified in Nova Scotia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy: “persons with work-limiting disabilities; single, unattached individuals, including youth; lone-parent families, especially female lone parents; older individuals; Aboriginal peoples; African Nova Scotians; recent immigrants; and people with poor educational attainment, particular those who have not achieved high school education.” What is there just simply is not enough.

Changes like cuts to any level of government or providing tax breaks to high income earners do little for strengthening programs and services; or creating sustainable and secure supports for Nova Scotians – as identified as guiding principles in the Poverty Reduction Strategy.

A balanced budget in three years’ time sounds positive to a lot of people fiscally. It might, however, be considered that, during recovery of an economic recession, a deficit may be justifiable. Supporting those citizens in greatest need now can do more for our economy and fiscal management in the long run than that of a balanced budget in 2013.

Trish McCourt

co-ordinator

Nova Scotia Association of Social Workers

Halifax

Filed Under: Advocacy, General Tagged With: , , , ,
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