ISARC to gauge poverty views, one MPP at a time

By 
  • November 16, 2011

TORONTO - One MPP at a time, face-to-face, ISARC wants every one of Ontario’s 107 newly elected or re-elected legislators to answer a few questions.

The Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition is forming interfaith committees across the province, arming them with studies and statistics and sending them into MPP’s offices to get clear answers on poverty. They want to know about each MPP’s commitment to the 2009 Poverty Reduction Act, welfare rates, minimum wage, affordable housing and support for community agencies.

The riding level lobbying blitz will take the place of the usual fall meeting of religious leaders at Queen’s Park.

“We definitely want to make sure we have a balanced approach. We want to make sure we are strengthening the ability of faith communities in the ridings to lobby MPPs,” said ISARC executive director Michael Skaljin.

ISARC has partnered with the Social Planning Network of Ontario to help form the local interfaith delegations and get them ready for the one-on-one lobbying.

“We want to make sure everyone has a similar understanding and can debate the issues,” said Skaljin.

The delegates on the MPP visiting teams won’t necessarily be clergy, though there is a value in the ordained in Roman collars, safron robes and kippahs showing up to speak with one voice on poverty, said Skaljin.

“Even the volunteer at the food bank or the clothing bank is a leader,” he said.

“That’s who we want to have as a part of this conversation with the MPP.”

There are limits to ISARC’s reach. While it can easily organize interfaith committees in the large, urban ridings of Toronto, Ottawa, London and Windsor, Northern Ontario is uncharted territory.

“We can cover Windsor to Ottawa without blinking,” Skaljin said.

“We’ll move north as we get more funding to do that.”

The bulk of meetings in MPP offices should happen in January, which leads nicely into the provincial budget-making process in February, said Skaljin.

ISARC will hold its next Queen’s Park religious leaders’ forum in late March or April next year.

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