Parliament about Women

As we prepare to discuss the health and rights of impoverished women and children abroad with our industrialized allies, it was comforting to see Jack Layton take a different road than his Liberal counterpart. Instead of insisting on funding foreign abortions, Jack would like us to instead focus on the women and children here in Canada living under poverty. To hear Jack tell the story, you'd think we have millions of families living in mud huts lighting their dung on fire to cook unhealthy bowls of gruel every night. It is as though African poverty and Canadian poverty are comparable on the scale, and that we have an obligation to our citizens to set mandatory minimum incomes.

Thus according to Jack, this upcoming session of parliament should be wholly focused on women's rights and war on poverty, economic recovery be damned. To those familiar with NDP policy, you probably have a pretty good what's coming next; the Poverty Elimination Act to be executed by the HRDC to end poverty in Canada. I'm not sure exactly how they intend to end poverty, but generally minimum guaranteed incomes are right around the corner. Hopefully Jack also has a plan to distinguish the needy from the lazy, though since his camp includes both, why heckle over details?

I would also like to know more about the "poverty statistics" that each NDP member can quote verbatim. What is the "poverty checklist" that they use to classify someone as living under poverty? I'd like to know because I'm pretty sure I qualify. Despite allegations that I am an "elitist", I survive on a very low income and I have a lust for life!