The Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation has released its fourth poverty reduction plan.
Officials gathered in Campbellton on Wednesday to unveil the new five-year roadmap for addressing poverty.
Stéphane Leclair, CEO of the corporation, said the plan includes more than a dozen priority actions divided into different pillars.
“But we could have had 1,000 based on the number of times that we’ve heard some comments regarding housing and transportation and income security and food security,” Leclair told a room full of stakeholders.
A total of 42,000 comments from nearly 5,000 participants were received during a public engagement process that took place across the province in early 2024.
Taking into account that feedback, the plan focuses on three pillars: basic needs and well-being; income security; and strengthening people-focused service delivery.
16 priority actions
Among the 16 priority actions are addressing improvements to food security, transportation services, child care, housing, health and awareness of prescription drug coverage.
There is also a focus on connecting people to benefits, improving financial literacy, improving working conditions for low-income workers, recognizing the challenges faced by people living with disabilities and creating an income security advisory committee.
The plan also includes actions to reduce barriers and better connect, expand support for youth who have reached the age of leaving the care of the minister and increase support for the non-profit sector.
“Significant strides were made over the past 15 years, but the current renewal’s timing is unique,” said Jean Allain, the corporation’s board chair.
“Feedback received made it very clear that life in New Brunswick has grown increasingly difficult, emphasizing the need for stronger collaboration, now more than ever.”
Reducing poverty by 50%
Leclair said the objective is to reduce income poverty by at least 50 per cent by 2030, in line with Canada’s first poverty reduction strategy.
“In 2020 and 2021 we reached the goal, but since then, the numbers went backwards because of the economic crisis that we’re in,” he said.
New Brunswick reached a peach of 119,000 New Brunswickers living in poverty in 2015. That dropped to 58,000 in 2020 and 51,000 in 2021 before climbing to 85,000 in 2022.
The report said that pandemic-related supports “certainly had an impact on the more positive numbers in 2020 and 2021.”
However, it also noted other initiatives have also played a key role in reducing poverty rates, including enhancements to child tax benefits, the adoption of national childcare programs and other long-term supports.
The corporation will measure and report progress on the 16 priority actions, as well as several other metrics, throughout the five-year plan.
