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Letters: B.C. child poverty rates highest in Canada

Response to Tom Fletcher's commentary on poverty, June 27 issue

Response to Tom Fletcher column, Poverty’ declines, nobody notices, page 8, June 27, 2012.

“Poverty declines,” you got to be kidding.

Obviously you do not have to stand in food lines at our local food banks. By the way, there are more food banks in B.C. then there are McDonalds restaurants; that should say something about our government.

Obviously you have not had to choose what bills must be paid this month and what ones can be let go until next month, so you can feed your children; that should say something about our government. Obviously you have not had to keep your children away from school because of field trips and other fees that you cannot afford, that should say something about our government.

Obviously you do not understand that welfare rates are below the poverty line and they have not been increased in over a decade, that should say something about our government. Obviously you have not read the front page of the National Post the Globe and Mail and the Times Colonist. Just a few short months ago they reported that B.C. has the highest child poverty rate in Canada; that should say something about our government.

Obviously you pick and choose what statistics of Canada to report on.  For Stats Can also reported recently that there is more people living below the poverty line in Canada than ever before, that should say something about our government.

The question I have for you and everyone is, why do we look at this speck in the eye of the poor when we, the middle class and the rich, have a log in our own eye. In holy rage, I call out to all of us, let us take the log out of our own eye before we take the speck out of the eye of the poor. Then we will see a little more clearly our government’s role.

Rev. Allen Tysick

Sooke