Poverty Reduction in British Columbia?: How “The Best Place on Earth” Keeps People Poorest
Abstract
Using the example of B.C., this article shows how combined federal and provincial policies prevent economic growth from benefiting all but upper-income people. This article examines the unequal growth of earnings across the country, including the differences in distribution by gender. It then examines the decidedly low-wage policy the B.C. Liberal Party adopted soon after it was elected in 2001. This included a minimum wage that did not change for 10 years, a wide variety of employment standard changes that undercut both income security and decent working conditions, and privatization measures. This strategy affected the breadth of poverty among wage earners, with the majority of families in poverty having at least one person who was working in the paid labour force. The depth of poverty has been affected by deficit reduction strategies that lowered the income of those in poverty who could not work. This began with the NDP government in the late 1990s, but was accelerated by the Liberal government. The final part of this paper indicates the kind of poverty reduction plan that would begin to change B.C.’s distinction as the worst province on poverty issues in Canada. Partant de l'exemple de la Colombie-Britannique, cet article explique comment l'association des politiques fédérales et provinciales aboutit au fait que la croissance économique ne profite qu'aux personnes ayant les revenus les plus élevés. Il passe en revue la croissance inégale de la rémunération dans tout le pays, notamment les différences de répartition selon le sexe. Il étudie ensuite la politique sur les bas salaires que le Parti libéral de la Colombie-Britannique a adoptée peu après son élection en 2001. Cette politique s'est accompagnée d’une stagnation du salaire minimum pendant 10 ans, de toute une série de changements apportés aux normes d'emploi qui ont nui tant à la sécurité du revenu qu’aux conditions de travail, et de mesures de privatisation. Cette stratégie a accentué la généralisation de la pauvreté chez les salariés, la plupart des foyers pauvres comptant au moins une personne touchant un revenu d’emploi. Les stratégies de réduction du déficit ont aggravé le phénomène de la pauvreté en faisant baisser le revenu des personnes pauvres incapables de travailler. Cette tendance a été amorcée par le gouvernement NPD à la fin des années 1990, mais s'est accélérée sous le gouvernement libéral. La dernière partie de cet article présente le type de programme de réduction de la pauvreté qui pourrait aider la Colombie-Britannique à se débarrasser de son étiquette de province canadienne ayant les politiques de lutte contre la pauvreté les plus inadéquates.
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