Common Front for Social Justice

Press release

Moncton-“Poverty is a provincial disaster and disgrace for this province and it has to become an electoral issue” Mary Anne Leblanc, social co-chair of the Common Front for Social Justice.

The Common Front for Social Justice in New Brunswick is launching a province-wide campaign against impoverishment: “An election is a proper time to talk about the real issues and not about leadership styles and buzz words. This is why we are putting forward a number of short and long term goals in order to address the poverty in our province” stated Ms. Leblanc.

The Common Front will ask to meet each party leader to discuss this very important issue but it will also ask each candidate to make their own personnel budget with what they would receive if they were living on Income Assistance. The results of these budgets will be unveiled one week prior to the election. “Candidate debates are a very good place to bring the issue to the public, so we will distribute a guide to help the public ask questions” continues John Gagnon, labour co-chair of the Common Front.

“ People living in poverty need help right now so there are specific short terms actions that we are asking for. We want basic income assistance to be raised to the national averaged and for it to always be indexed to the cost of living. We also want to help people on U.I, help the working poor and help women attain equity. ” states John Gagon. The short term measures the Common Front has identified include modification of policy so that two or more people on income assistance can live in the same household without being considered an economic unit, an increase in the minimum wage for the thousands of working poor who badly need it. As a question of justice and fairness, the common front is asking for Pay Equity legislation. Even though Unemployment insurance is not a provincial issue it has also been brought up by the Common Front. “It has an impact on our communities, so it needs to be looked at” says Ms LeBlanc.

“ These short term measures are necessary but we are also looking at the long term. We want our province to enact a legislation in order to eliminate poverty. This law would be based on three basics principles: the elimination of poverty is a priority, the improvement of income of the fifth of the population which lives in poverty takes precedence over the improvement of income of he fifth of the richer population, people living in poverty and their associations are involved in the conception, the development and the evaluation of this legislation” Concluded Mr Gagnon.

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For information or interviews contact:
John Gagnon, co-chair (506) 547-6061
Mary Anne LeBlanc, co-chair (506) 633-9881