| Written by Michael Swan, The Catholic Register,
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 TORONTO - As Queen's Park legislators wrapped up debate on the poverty reduction bill which commits Ontario to a 25-per-cent reduction in child poverty by 2014, the people who prayed for the MPPs throughout Lent were back to remind them poverty is still a problem.
"We've often heard of poverty and what it does to the spirit," Society of St. Vincent de Paul advocacy chair Paula Finbow told the Queen's Park gathering of the Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition April 30. "We need to speak for the poor. That's part of our mandate."
It was the first ISARC meeting since the group spent 18 days praying for MPs on the front lawn of the legislature. While they met, MPs were debating third reading of Bill 152, the Poverty Reduction Act.
The prayers worked, NDP Municipal Affairs critic Michael Prue told the ISARC crowd when the debate was over.
"They so changed the act that now I'm going to vote for it," he said. "So your prayers worked."
The ISARC pre-budget vigil had more than Prue's vote in mind, and ISARC secretary Brice Balmer figures there's still some praying to be done. The vigil changed ISARC's relationship with MPs and made the public more aware of the struggle faith communities have taken on against poverty, Balmer said.
"Did it change the budget? Not that we can see," he said.
ISARC presented MPPs with partially burnt candles with their names on them, souvenirs of the prayer vigil. Candles were lit and prayers said for 25 MPs every day during the vigil.
"I need all the prayers I can get," said John Milloy, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, as his candle was presented to him.
"You can be proud that your efforts have not been in vain," he told the ISARC crowd. "I want to thank you for your prayers."
"We are determined to make things happen, and to hold ourselves accountable for making things happen," said the Chair of Cabinet Gerry Phillips.
Voices from the Street spokesman Mike Creek told the ISARC meeting he looked on Bill 152 with a sense of accomplishment, but there's a big difference between the government's commitment to reduce child poverty and the more politically difficult job of eradicating adult poverty.
"They took the easy way out, talking about child poverty," he said. "You can't talk about child poverty when there's two adults in the room with that child."
"I've been trying to be positive about this legislation (Bill 152)," said Rev. Susan Eagle, ISARC's chair. "Has the government co-opted the language of poverty without any real guts to it? Is it lip service?"
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Michael Swan, The Catholic Register |
| About the author: |
| Michael Swan is Associate Editor of The Catholic Register. He is an award-winning writer and photographer and holds a Master of Arts degree from New York University.
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