A/HRC/13/23/Add.2 human rights, systemic discrimination and support for victims in matters of employment, education, health and social services, and public security. 28. The following sections consider discrimination in the key policy areas of poverty, education, employment, policing and national security. A. Poverty 29. Minority representatives consider that discrimination, racism and educational and economic inequality are key causal factors in the disproportionate poverty experienced by people of colour. blacks in Ottawa are five times more likely to be poor than the non-visible minority population. About 60 per cent of all employed black Canadians earn less than $20,000 per year, compared to 55 per cent of all visible minorities and only 37 per cent of non-visible minorities.9 30. In Toronto, between 1980 and 2000 the number of non-racialized families living in poverty fell by 28 per cent. In comparison the number of racialized families in poverty rose by 361 per cent.10 The research stated that there had been a major shift in the resident profile of higher poverty neighbourhoods, with poor visible minority and immigrant families making up far larger percentages of the total “poor” family population in those neighbourhoods. Minority representatives in Ontario, including the Colour of Poverty Campaign believe that, nationwide, initiatives have failed to address the poverty of racialized communities. 31. The African Canadian Legal Clinic notes that approximately 44 per cent of African Canadian children live in poverty.11 The Roots of Youth Violence study by the Government of Ontario highlights that the levels, concentration and circumstances surrounding child poverty contribute to youth violence, lack of accessible services, health issues and educational achievement. Black children are more likely to grow up in low income neighbourhoods and housing and are further stigmatized by their living conditions. Food insecurity is reportedly a growing problem for some African Canadians. High levels of poverty are a significant factor contributing to a higher incidence of poor health among affected groups. 32. Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy (2008) includes policies focusing on reducing child poverty, supporting education initiatives, addressing the needs of low income households, and addressing poverty affecting new immigrant communities. There is no targeted focus on black, Asian and other minority groups or explicit recognition of the role that discrimination plays in poverty. The Quebec Government Action Plan to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion published in 2004 includes, among other things, measures to support the socio-occupational integration of visible minority groups, and recognizes challenges and discrimination facing groups including the black English-speaking 9 10 11 GE.10-11860 Social Planning Council of Ottawa, “Communities within: diversity and exclusion in Ottawa. Mixed blessings and missed opportunities” (2008), p. 8, available from www.spcottawa.on.ca/Documents/ Reports/Research/ExecSum_Intercase_Study_Report.doc. United Way of Greater Toronto and the Canadian Council on Social Development, Poverty by Postal Code: The Geography of Neighbourhood Poverty, City of Toronto, 1981–2001 (Toronto, 2004), p. 49. “Report of the African Canadian Legal Clinic to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on the Review of Canada’s Seventh Periodic Report under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women”, forty-second session, 20 October–7 November 2008, para. 8, available from http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/ docs/ngos/ACLC_Canada42.pdf. 9