Poverty in Canada

Persuasive Essay # 101033

Canadian Studies
Political Science > Social Security and Welfare
Sociology > Welfare

Poverty in Canada

This paper explores poverty in Canada and its implications for social workers.

1,331 words () | 5 sources | APA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper reveals that poverty is a serious problem not only in faraway, developing countries, but even in Canada. The paper discusses the problems inherent in Canadians "fostering" a far-away child that makes them believe they are doing something about child poverty. The paper maintains that this situation needs to be understood within a global and national context and policies need to be evolved that truly address it. The paper concludes that the critical analysis of policy issues and social problems such as poverty is a crucial part of social work education.

From the Paper:

"At almost any time of the day or night, one can find images of starving children on a Canadian television channel. These often horrifying images always depict children in developing countries, and are intended to elicit charitable donations. Often they succeed in this. I once heard an acquaintance proudly announcing that she had just "fostered" a child. By this she meant that she had made a phone call, and henceforth would be donating $22 per month to one of these charities. What an easy way to salve one's conscience - and in future, she can rapidly skip past those channels with a clear conscience. Even those who have not "fostered" a child tend to skip rapidly past those canals, averting their eyes from the fly-infested, emaciated faces with their big blank eyes. On the one hand, this represents how the proliferation of these images has desensitized viewers to poverty. On the other hand, the fact that people can so lightly "foster" a far-away child that one will never see, and by so doing believe they are "doing something" about child poverty, is disturbing on many levels."

Sample of Sources Used:

Black, Errol. (2003). Jobs, jobs, jobs. Unemployment, labour-market insecurities, and the subordination of labour. Power and resistance: Critical thinking about Canadian social issues. Eds Les Samuelson, and Wayne Antony. Halifax: Fernwood Publishing.
Greenwald, Robert. (Director) (2006). Wal-Mart: The High Price of Low Cost. Brave New Films.
Lightman, Ernie and Allan Irving. (1991). Restructuring Canada's welfare state. Journal of Social Policy, 20(1), 65-86.
McMichael, Philip. (2004). Development and Social Change: A Global Perspective. 3rd Edition. California: Pine Forge Press.
Silver, Jim. (2003). Persistent poverty and the push for community solutions. Power and resistance: Critical thinking about Canadian social issues. Eds Les Samuelson, and Wayne Antony. Halifax: Fernwood Publishing.