With less poverty, all of us stand to gain immeasurably.
Comité consultatif de lutte contre la pauvreté et l’exclusion sociale
August 15th, 2013
The Participation of Persons Living in Poverty in Decision Making that Concerns Them: An Inspiring Model – Online bulletin no. 8 –August 2013
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The participation of persons living in poverty in decision making that concerns them has many advantages and must be promoted from every point of view. The Comité consultatif, like several other organizations, applies this principle to all its actions. The Comité’s aim in this online bulletin is to point out the advantages of this principle for any organization that is devoted to defending rights or that develops measures and programs to serve the public.
June 20th, 2013
Improving the Quality of Job to Ensure the Right to Decent Work – Online bulletin no. 7 – May 2013
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Employment is clearly an important way to escape poverty, but cannot be considered the only solution to the problems of those excluded from the labour market. In Québec, most people living in poverty are infrequent participants in the labor market or are completely excluded from it. Nevertheless, over the last few decades, a downward trend in overall poverty has been observed, coupled with an increase in poverty among working people. In this online bulletin, the Comité presents the main findings and recommendations of its Advisory Opinion entitled L’emploi pour lutter contre la pauvreté : les défis à relever – Pour assurer le droit à un travail décent : améliorer la qualité des emplois. The summary of this Advisory Opinion is available in English on this site.
March 26th, 2013
Improving the quality of jobs to secure the right to decent work
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The Comité is proud to release its latest advisory opinion concerning the situation of the working poor and job insecurity.
This advisory opinion is part of a broader series of initiatives undertaken by the Comité. It is one of three dimensions concerning which the Comité intends to submit proposals for taking up the challenges related to its primary objective: promoting employment as a means of escaping poverty.
In the advisory opinion, the Comité proposes ways to
- Improve the situation of the working poor.
- Establish means to counteract job insecurity.
Employment is clearly an important way to escape poverty, but cannot be considered the only solution to the problems of those excluded from the labour market. Moreover, the reality is that even many people with a job remain in a precarious situation and the ranks of the working poor continue to swell.
For the Comité, employment is a right, like the right to health or education. The job must be decent and clearly regulated by labour laws ensuring the protection of workers; it must also offer social protection measures, such as group insurance, and guarantee the right to collective representation.
Three principles are at the root of the Comité’s reflections and recommendations:
- Recognition of the contribution of one and all.
- The importance of public policies.
- The necessity for all individuals and families to have a decent income.
The recommendations contained in this advisory opinion may be implemented on a gradual basis. What matters most is for all stakeholders, led by government, to establish measurable targets and objectives and to start working as quickly as possible so that employment can eventually cease being associated with poverty and become more associated with social and economic well being.
