povertyandhumanrights.org » social assistance

Human Rights Denied: Single Mothers on Social Assistance

phrc — Mon, 25 Apr 2005 22:51:23 +0000

Human Rights Denied documents the very difficult conditions in which single mothers
are raising their children in British Columbia today. It is a call for the Government of British Columbia to abandon its current policies – because they are a cruel failure.

Human Rights Denied: Single Mothers on Social Assistance

Gosselin v. Attorney General (Quebec): Autonomy with a Vengeance (2004)

phrc — Sun, 01 Aug 2004 16:22:41 +0000

In Gosselin v. Quebec (Attorney General), the first poverty case under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to reach the Supreme Court of Canada, the Court ruled against the applicant, Louise Gosselin and the class of social assistance recipients she represented. The decision is deeply divided, and the majority decision turns on a finding that the evidence was insufficient. Therefore, as precedent, the outcome of the Gosselin case may not be particularly significant. However, the majority’s assessment of the evidence is unpersuasive. The challenged social assistance regulation embodied a negative stereotype of young men and women who are reliant on social assistance, which, sadly, the majority of the Court embraced.

The majority decision contrasts sharply with powerful dissents of other judges who found that reducing social assistance for young adults in need to a below subsistence level violated ss. 7 and 15 of the Canadian Charter as well as s. 45 of the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Gosselin v. Attorney General (Quebec): Autonomy with a Vengeance (2004)

The Right to Social Assistance: 14 Questions and Answers (October 2003)

phrc — Wed, 01 Oct 2003 23:17:53 +0000

British Columbia is the only province in Canada to place a time limit on

welfare eligibility. From diverse perspectives, many people are concerned

about the harmful results of this harsh and unprecedented new rule. This

report is a response to numerous requests that the Poverty and Human Rights

Project has received from concerned groups and individuals for an analysis

of the human rights implications of the 24 month cut off rule.

British Columbia is the only province in Canada to place a time limit on welfare eligibility. From diverse perspectives, many people are concerned about the harmful results of this harsh and unprecedented new rule. This report is a response to numerous requests that the Poverty and Human Rights Project has received from concerned groups and individuals for an analysis of the human rights implications of the 24 month cut off rule.

The Right to Social Assistance: 14 Questions and Answers (October 2003)