Impact of Poverty in Canada due to Ineffective Public Policies and What are Ways to Reduce Poverty

Poverty in Canada
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Poverty in Canada
Answer 1
In Canada, the poverty levels are usually higher than in most other developed nations. Economic resources are not distributed in a manner to reach numerous low-income Canadians. The majority of Canadians are at risk of being poor. Some of the most vulnerable ones include women, individuals of indigenous descent, people of color, uneducated individuals, unattached adults, persons with disabilities, and recent immigrants to the country (Raphael, 2020, Chapter 3). According to a survey done by Angus Reid Institute in 2018, 16% of Canadians were identified to be “struggling,” 11% living on the edge, 16% living in poverty, and 11% are close to experiencing poverty (Raphael, 2020, Chapter 1). Many Canadians live in poverty since they work in poorly paying occupations for an extended period. Others are unable to work because of disability or illness. There exist a percentage of individuals who are willing to work but cannot secure occupations, hence living below the international poverty line.
Poverty rates are very high for some Canadians, such as individuals with disabilities, people receiving social assistance, seniors over 65 years, elderly adults, lone non-elderly adults, and female lone-parent families (Raphael, 2020, Chapter 3). The escalating costs of post-secondary education and housing make the situation in Canada worse since many families without a good source of income are unable to educate their children, hence living in the vicious cycle of poverty. The primary reason why poverty remains a significant problem in a wealthy nation, such as Canada, is because public policy decisions lead to inequitable distribution of economic resources. Moreover, the economic and political forces enable and tolerate poverty. Individuals from marginalized communities in Canada have a high likelihood of living in poverty. For instance, Arabs, West Asians, Koreans, Blacks, Latin Americans, and all racialized people.
There exist various aspects of poverty that drive people to poverty in Canada. They include low-wage occupations, unequal distribution of social assistance benefits, geographical locations, the lack of education, disability, gender, age, and racial background (Raphael, 2020, Chapter 3). For example, a significant proportion of less-educated people residing in Nova Scotia (NS), Manitoba (MB), Prince Edward Island (PE), and Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) are likely to be poor due to unfavorable economic conditions. The unequal distribution of economic resources makes it challenging for low-income earners to receive proper financial assistance to uplift their living standards. Since those living in poverty are unable to educate their children, it becomes challenging for them to break the vicious cycle of poverty, and many people from upcoming generations are less likely to redeem themselves. When it comes to the minority groups of people, such as the people of color, they are unlikely to get employed in Canada, which leads to high poverty rates.
Answer 2
Many Canadians live in poverty due to the inequitable distribution of economic resources and ineffective public policies. The various public policy domains include unemployment benefits, labor and employment policy, social assistance, family benefits, pensions, healthcare, and the generosity and organization of disability. Canada is usually placed in the category of “liberal welfare state” together with the United States of America (USA), New Zealand, the United Kingdom (UK), Australia, and Ireland (Raphael, 2020, Chapter 13). All these countries have undeveloped welfare systems, rely on market-oriented strategies for poverty reduction and public policy, and foster the individualist understanding of the causes of poor health and poverty. That is why available resources are not equally distributed to all Canadians earning low wages to empower them and break the vicious cycle of poverty.
For a country to manage the market income poverty rate, it should enhance wages and other benefits made available to employees. Canada has many individuals working in low-wage occupations since there exist no proper public policies that push employers to increase wages and other financial benefits. The country has a high percentage of employees working in low-paying jobs. The Canadian government fails to redistribute resources through taxation and the provision of proper services and benefits. In other words, wealthy individuals are not taxed at high rates to distribute these revenues to poor people. When it comes to the active labor policy, which entails the extent through which the government supports training and the implementation of policies that promote employment and decrease unemployment, Canada allocates 0.8% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to such policies. Additionally, the Canadian social assistance benefits are 22% of the median income, which is very low for an individual (Raphael, 2020, Chapter 13). Consequently, these public policies lead to inequity in income distribution and inaccessibility to crucial human needs, such as housing, education, and food.
Canada’s welfare state allows inequality in the distribution of economic resources, hence causing high poverty rates. In particular, the country has an undeveloped welfare state, which means that it does not cater to how its citizens meet their needs. As a capitalist economy, the Canadian government does not guarantee families and individuals a minimum income regardless of the market value. In that light, employers are the ones who set the employment conditions, among them being employees’ wages. The government does not narrow insecurities to enable families and individuals to meet specific social contingencies that are bound to happen at some point in life, such as old age, unemployment, and sickness, which might lead to family or personal crises (Witcombe, 2021). Moreover, it does not ensure that citizens are provided with the best living standards beyond a certain threshold regardless of people’s differences in social classes and statuses.
Answer 3
Biological processes involve things that are essential for a creature to live, and they shape individuals’ capacities to interact with the environment. Living in poverty significantly affects numerous social health determinants, employment, food insecurity, and working conditions. Poor people encounter an array of health-threatening living situations (Policy Alternatives, 2015). For instance, due to the lack of proper education, individuals are unlikely to know how to prepare and eat a nutritious diet. The lack of education causes unemployment, which means that individuals will have no money to facilitate the provision of life necessities. As such, these people are likely to get sick due to malnutrition, and their immune system is weak since their bodies do not get all the relevant nutrients and minerals. Hungry individuals do not get the energy and time to interact well with their environment and are socially deprived or isolated.
Psychological processes are internalized mechanisms, which cause changes in people’s emotions, thinking, behavior, perception, memory, attention, and learning. Canadians living in poverty do not have time to think about education since learning cannot occur when a person is hungry. In that light, these individuals have a different perception of life. For instance, they know that they are likely to die or get sick and live in worry about their future. Besides, premature mortality and life expectancy rates are high for low-wage workers. For example, Canadian males residing in the lowest income quintile have a life expectancy of 76.4 years, which is shorter by 5.3 years than for men living in the wealthiest regions. For the females, the life expectancy for those residing in the lowest income areas is 81.7 years, which is 2.3 years shorter than those in the wealthiest regions in Canada (Raphael, 2020, Chapter 8). The life expectancy of Canadians living in poverty is low since these people are likely to get stressed or severely sick due to the lack of emphasis on preventive care. As a result, psychological factors play significant roles in determining the challenges Canadians who live in poverty face.
The behaviors of people living in poverty in Canada expose them to illnesses and poor health conditions. For instance, poor individuals have a high likelihood of engaging in substance and alcohol abuse, tobacco abuse, physical inactivity, and poor diet (Raphael, 2020, Chapter 9). Since these people face challenging life situations, they misuse drugs, thinking that they are solving their problems. In the process, some of them become addicted or sick due to substance abuse. The lack of a nutritional diet deteriorates their health condition and prolongs their recovery period. Instead of family members thinking about things that would uplift their economic statuses, they use the little money they have to buy medications and pay hospital bills. Therefore, the behaviors of individuals living in poverty in Canada lead to diseases and unfavorable health conditions.
Poverty significantly affects the quality of life of communities, individuals, and the entire nation. Indeed, it influences people’s issues of interpersonal relations, personal well-being, and physical growth and development. Additionally, it affects a person’s level of personal adjustment, literacy, and educational achievement (Raphael, 2020, Chapter 10). Children living in poverty miss various opportunities since they do not join good educational institutions. Poverty also influences community isolation and belonging, family life, safety and crime, social exclusion and inclusion, and social integration and cohesion. Levels of poverty in society significantly affect labor productivity and economic growth. Consequently, people living in poverty are deprived of various things that improve their quality of life.
Answer 4
Canada’s primary national or federal anti-poverty program is known as the Opportunity for All: Canada’s First Poverty Redu...