Pandemic benefits rolled out to cushion the blow of COVID-19 lockdowns had the unintended consequence of dramatically reducing poverty levels, and now, a group is calling on the federal government to build on that success. A silhouette against the sky of a man holding a child in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, June 26, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Charlie Riedel
OTTAWA – A new report says pandemic benefits rolled out to cushion the blow of COVID-19 lockdowns significantly reduced the child poverty rate.
The analysis by the anti-poverty group Campaign 2000 says in 2020 13.5 per cent of Canadian children were living in poverty.
That is down from 17.7 per cent in 2019, and 24.2 per cent 20 years earlier.
It notes the decline is the largest drop since the federal government pledged to end child poverty in 1989, and accounts for nearly half of the decline in the poverty rate seen over two decades.
Campaign 2000 is offering 50 recommendations to further reduce poverty, including creating a supplement to the Canada Child Benefit that would target the poorest families.
A Statistics Canada report published last year also highlighted how pandemic benefits helped narrow income inequality as lower-income households saw their after-tax income grow at a faster rate than others.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2023.
