Campaign 2000

Campaign 2000 Campaign 2000: end child and family poverty came about as a result of a 1989 resolution passed by all MPs to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000.

The network is non partisan and is generously hosted and staffed at Family Service Toronto. What is Campaign 2000? This House "seek(s) to achieve the goal of eliminating poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000". House of Commons, unanimous all-party resolution, November 24, 1989. Campaign 2000 Declaration:

"We are committed to promoting and securing the full implementation of the House of Commons Resolution of November 24, 1989." Commitment by National and Community Partners Campaign 2000, November 24, 1991. Campaign 2000 is a cross-Canada public education movement to build Canadian awareness and support for the 1989 all-party House of Commons resolution to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000. Campaign 2000 began in 1991 out of concern about the lack of government progress in addressing child poverty. Campaign 2000 is non-partisan in urging all Canadian elected officials to keep their promise to Canada's children. Who is involved with Campaign 2000? Since its inception, Campaign 2000 has grown to become a vibrant network of national, regional and local partner organizations that actively work on child/family issues from diverse perspectives. There are over 120 national, community and provincial partners actively involved in the work of Campaign 2000. Hundreds of other groups across the country work on the issue of child poverty everyday, such as children's aid societies, faith organizations, community agencies, health organizations, school boards, and low-income people's groups. For a complete listing of all of our partners, please refer to the Campaign 2000 partners’ list Campaign 2000 partners' list. What does Campaign 2000 do? Campaign 2000 works to increase public awareness of the levels and consequences of child/family poverty by publishing research on the indicators of child poverty and developing public education resources. Campaign 2000 puts out an annual national Report Card on Child Poverty in Canada measuring the progress, or lack of progress, of the unanimous all-party resolution "to seek to achieve the goal of eliminating poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000". Many of our partners also produce local report cards. You can order copies of the 2000 Report Card on Child Poverty in Canada using our Order/Donation form. Our Discussion Papers (including our most recent policy paper called Pathways to Progress) contain a set of proposals for public policies and social investments based on the life cycle approach to addressing child poverty. Campaign 2000 is involved in public and government consultations around the issue of child and family poverty and government policy. We also lobby all parties in both federal and provincial governments for improved social policies relating to the national child benefit, social housing, child care, labour market supports, community services and other relevant policy areas. Build on the deep public concern about this issue by engaging local communities to examine child poverty and children's well-being through presentations, displays, and forums and our publications. Advance doable public policy solutions and insist on federal and provincial leadership in income, services, housing, and labour market security for families and children with wide consultation from our partner base. What Are Campaign 2000 Goals?
1. We must raise and protect the basic living standards of families in all regions of the country so that no child in Canada must ever live in poverty*.

2. We must improve the life chances of all children in Canada to fulfil their potential and nurture their talent, and to become responsible and contributing members of Canadian society.

3. We must ensure the availability of secure, affordable, and suitable housing as an inherent right of all children in Canada.

4. We must create, build and strengthen family support, child care and community-based resources to empower families to provide the best possible care for their children.

* Poverty is measured using Statistics Canada's Low Income Cut-Off Lines (LICOs). What You Can Do! You can write a letter to your federal politician and tell him/her that you need to know what they are doing about child poverty. You may also choose to get involved in the work of Campaign 2000 or that of our partners across the country, or choose to make a personal donation to Campaign (tax receipts are issued for amounts over $10). To obtain further information and/or to order Campaign 2000 publications, including the annual Report Card on Child Poverty and Campaign 2000 discussion papers, you can use the online order form, or contact us.

Canada rushed CERB and CRB out the door during a once‑in‑a‑lifetime crisis. That was the right call. But years later, th...
08/18/2026

Canada rushed CERB and CRB out the door during a once‑in‑a‑lifetime crisis. That was the right call. But years later, the federal government is still pursuing repayment from low‑income people who applied under confusing and changing rules.

Unlike countries such as the US, UK, and Australia, Canada has not created a broad path to forgive or write off pandemic benefit overpayments. Instead, low‑income recipients face 100% repayment demands, rigid evidence standards, and repeated reassessments – even when provincial social assistance and housing programs already clawed back the same dollars.

Maytree’s new report, “Let it be over,” makes the case for a structured wind‑down of CERB/CRB collections: income‑based forgiveness, proportional settlements, reconciliation of provincial clawbacks, closure of low‑value cases, and a fixed end date for routine recovery efforts. This is not a call for blanket amnesty. It is a call to stop treating confusion and poverty like fraud.

Read and share the report: https://maytree.com/publications/let-it-be-over/ & https://campaign2000.ca/our-work/cerb-advocacy/

The Hamilton Spectator released a new article written by Amanda Therrien, senior staff lawyer at the NAWL ANFD - Nationa...
07/21/2026

The Hamilton Spectator released a new article written by Amanda Therrien, senior staff lawyer at the NAWL ANFD - National Association of Women and the Law and Leila Sarangi national director for Campaign 2000: End Child and Family Poverty. The article titled “For some people, the CERB lifeline has become an anchor” discusses the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) Clawbacks.

CERB was a lifeline for many low-income Canadians, but for some, it has become an anchor. While the federal government set a plan in action to claw back CERB funds from largely low-income Canadians, it gave a tax break to the rich, Amanda Therrien and Leila Sarangi say.

The Canadian government asserts that an effective use of public funds is to pursue low-income individuals for pandemic overpayments, rather than address decaying social safety nets. The government's own admission notes that CERB clawback efforts "could impose a burden on low-income Canadians."

There is a stark difference in the treatment of lower- and higher-income Canadians. The federal government has made intensive efforts to pursue primarily low-income Canadians, while higher-income individuals are given tax breaks.

Luxury taxes on aircraft and vessels were eliminated on the grounds that they were "inefficient, costly to administer, and challenging for Canadian industries at a time of ongoing global uncertainty."

This analysis and action make it evident that individuals in the top percentile of earners, primarily consisting of men, would be most affected by the change.

The government has the capability and must make efforts to END pandemic benefit collection activities.

Read the Full Story Here: https://campaign2000.ca/for-some-people-the-cerb-lifeline-has-become-an-anchor/

06/29/2026

A Community Conversation was held to discuss "the Family and Child Poverty in Hamilton" Report Card. Ted Hildebrandt (Senior Social Planner) presented key findings from the report. He was joined by Leila Sarangi (National Director, Campaign 2000: End Child & Family Poverty), who presented on the 2025 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada. This was followed by a discussion on understanding the findings, exploring impacts on children and families, and identifying solutions. Read the Full report Here: https://campaign2000.ca/2025-hamilton-report-card-release/

❗NEW REPORT❗The new 2026 Child and Family Poverty Report Card from  and  reveals child poverty in Toronto has risen for ...
06/15/2026

❗NEW REPORT❗

The new 2026 Child and Family Poverty Report Card from and reveals child poverty in Toronto has risen for the third consecutive year.

Many of the most powerful policy levers sit with provincial and federal governments. With a municipal election on October 26, 2026, now is the time to invite candidates to share their vision for a better, more equitable city.

Read the full report, check your ward’s poverty profile, and access our toolkits to take action: www.socialplanningtoronto.org/childpoverty2026 & www.campaign2000.ca/release-of-toronto-family-and-child-poverty-report/

Together, we can end child poverty.

Racialized children, especially those without permanent immigration status, are facing some of the highest levels of hou...
03/26/2026

Racialized children, especially those without permanent immigration status, are facing some of the highest levels of housing need in Canada.

35.1% of racialized children without permanent status live in core housing need, nearly double the rate of their non-racialized peers, and up to six times higher than non-racialized children born in Canada.

As the 2025 Report Card shows, poverty in Canada is not experienced equally. It continues to disproportionately impact racialized and marginalized communities, driven by systemic barriers that affect access to stable housing, income, and supports .

We can’t address child poverty without addressing inequity.

🔗 Read the full report here:https://campaign2000.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2025-Report-Card-on-Child-and-Family-Poverty.pdf

❗NEW REPORT❗The 2025 National Report Card, “Investing in Tomorrow: A Future Without Poverty,” is out now.Twenty-five yea...
03/09/2026

❗NEW REPORT❗

The 2025 National Report Card, “Investing in Tomorrow: A Future Without Poverty,” is out now.

Twenty-five years after Canada pledged to end child poverty, progress is reversing. Child poverty has risen for the third consecutive year, families are living in deeper poverty, and income inequality is widening, with children from marginalized communities hit hardest as the Canada Child Benefit loses effectiveness.

Read the report: https://campaign2000.ca/new-release-2025-report-card-on-child-and-family-poverty-in-canada/

It’s time to truly invest in tomorrow!



Oxfam Inequality Report 2026: Resisting the Rule of the Rich and Protecting Freedom from Billionaire PowerSenior Directo...
01/29/2026

Oxfam Inequality Report 2026: Resisting the Rule of the Rich and Protecting Freedom from Billionaire Power

Senior Director of Strategy & Innovation and National Director of Campaign 2000, Leila Sarangi, joined Lauren Ravon, Executive Director of Oxfam Canada, on the latest episode to discuss Oxfam’s 2026 Inequality Report and what rising billionaire power means for democracy and poverty in Canada.

As Leila shared in the conversation, Canada has seen the largest historic increases in poverty since the pandemic, even as billionaire wealth continues to grow. Millions of children are living in food-insecure households, and families are making impossible choices just to survive.

This episode is a powerful reminder that inequality is not inevitable, it is shaped by policy decisions.

👉 Take action to end poverty and inequality below!

https://campaign2000.ca/get-involved/call-to-action/

https://www.oxfam.ca/rising-up-against-wealth-inequality/

🎧 Listen to the full episode and read the transcript at:

georgebrown.ca/TommyDouglasInstitute

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