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News
Release |
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Government in fiscal position to further
help families
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Anna Thistle, Opposition Finance Critic and MHA for the District
of Grand Falls-Buchans, says the province is in a fiscal
position to help low income parents with back-to-school costs
and the Minister of Education should put aside party politics
and listen to suggestions being made by the Opposition rather
than go on the defensive. "Many parents in this province are now facing a great deal of financial stress as they prepare to send children back to school, none more than those who are mired in poverty and often through no fault of their own," says Thistle. "The reduction of school fees and the additional money which has been allocated to indexing of income support rates are all positive initiatives, but the minister cannot avoid the reality that there is definitely still much room for improvement. Even the National Council of Welfare, while pointing to our better welfare rates than the rest of the country, stressed that those on income support and their children are still well below the poverty line and their quality of living and health are adversely affected. "That is why I called on government to put in place a program which will ensure that parents have the funds to purchase things such as pencils, backpacks, calculators and other supplies. Other provinces recognize the cash crunch which comes for people on income support at this time of year. The Government of Nova Scotia recently announced that it would help families on income assistance with the cost of these supplies, notwithstanding that it too has raised income assistance rates. This is the seventh year that province has stepped forward and helped families with school start_up costs." The Liberal MHA says the province currently has an improved fiscal position, yet many of the most disadvantaged in our society are not seeing significant benefits because of it. The Minister of Education and the Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment are being asked to show some compassion and directly help ease the burden of poverty. The Liberal MHA says she would encourage the minister to tap into the insights and knowledge shared amongst front-line workers who see first-hand the extra stress created by the start of the school year. "Many have to be offered emergency assistance to get them through this challenging financial time. This is not only about easing the stress on parents, but also about protecting the children of our province from the ills of poverty." Thistle says she was also taken back by the harsh political nature of the minister’s recent comments on this issue. "The minister is obviously overly sensitive to criticism and has a closed mind when it comes to accepting suggestions from opposition parties. This is not necessarily about following or leading what other provinces are doing. It is about listening to the people of this province and understanding their problems, as well as being open enough to take ideas or suggestions that are intent on bettering the lives of those most vulnerable, particularly our children."
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