35 Years In - Manitoba Needs an Anti- Poverty Strategy that Works

was a significant year as it was the 20th anniver- First though, as the map demonstrates, in sary of our collective failure to make good on the 2022, Manitoba was once again the province 1989 House of Commons unanimous pledge to with the highest rate, 27.1%, of children living in end child poverty by the year 2000. [...] Three of the ‘top’ ten federal ridings with 2024, on the 35th anniversary of that pledge and the highest rates are in Manitoba with Winnipeg we continue to allow poverty to plague our chil- Centre continuing to be the urban federal riding dren and their futures. [...] Child and Family Poverty in Manitoba by the Numbers 19 Child Poverty and Food Insecurity Household food insecurity is the inability to access safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food Figure 13 | Percentage of Food Insecurity in Manitoba in ways that are socially acceptable, primarily due to financial inaccessibility. [...] persons living on reserve, which suggests that the In Manitoba, the percentage of children living overall prevalence of food insecurity in Manitoba in food insecure households rose from 25.7% in is likely higher given the far higher cost of food in 2022 to 32.6% (Figure 14). [...] This aligns with Calls to Action in Canada, and from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada in holding governments accountable more than 90% for reducing the number of Indigenous children in care and providing adequate resources to keep of children families together.11 in care are The 2021 Census demonstrated that 35% of young adults, aged 20 to 34, who were living in Indigenous.