Dear Editor:
Is the glass half-empty, or half-full? That is the central theme that jumps out from your editorial "Can B.C. really afford Family Day holiday" (Feb. 7)?
The resounding answer is yes - we can afford it, and we should celebrate it! While your editorial correctly noted that B.C.'s rate of child poverty is near the top in Canada, what you didn't mention is that it has been declining fairly consistently over the last decades. For example, in the 1990s in B.C., about 25 per cent of all B.C. children lived in poverty. Further back, in the early 1950s, the child poverty rate was 45 per cent. That rate is now much lower, ranging between 10 and 18 per cent, depending on who is doing the counting.
What causes poverty rates to fall? The primary reason is a strong economy, coupled with ever-higher rates of high school graduation. Who remains in poverty? The answer is, sadly, generally those with lower education levels and those who choose to have children too early, before their education and training is complete. For example, according to Statistics Canada, a single parent is four times more likely to live in poverty than those who are fortunate to live in a stable, committed relationship.
These stats are not unique to B.C. The Economist in 2013 reported on the remarkable drop in poverty around the world over the last generation. In China alone, almost 700 million people have been lifted out of poverty in the last 25 years, since that country abandoned communism and adopted a free market system.
So let's celebrate what has been achieved and remember that poverty is reduced when we encourage education, family planning, building a strong economy and nurturing loving families. So yes - let's proudly celebrate Family Day!
Martin Eady, New Westminster
