Former NB Youth Advocate Bernard Richard and the Sanctuary House leader Melanie Beaulieu discussed the role education has in improving living conditions for poor children in Canada last Friday evening at St. Thomas’ Peace Café.
“One of every 10 children in New Brunswick are in graving poverty,” said Beaulieu. “Last year 100 families came to our shelter.”
The discussion titled “Addressing child poverty in Canada- It shouldn’t hurt to be a child” was led in James Dunn Hall.
Richard discussed the inequality between rich and poor worldwide and the impact it had to improve poor children’s lifestyles.
“Eighty-six families in Canada of the upper class own as much wealth as the 11.4 million of Canadian citizens,” he said.
Women play a significant role when addressing child poverty in the society, said Beaulieu. One in every four women in Canada are assaulted by a partner.
She works at the Woodstock shelter. She said hundreds of women go to the shelter to receive help every year.
They stay because they can’t find anything better to continue their lives.
“We don’t see women who have the end of a successful story,” she said. “We are not their last resource.”
Everything the shelter does is supported by donations.
To lower the number of sexual assaults in Canada and the poor living conditions of children in New Brunswick, she encouraged people to talk about the problems assaulted women face, to promote social justice and invited everyone to donate something to the shelter.
Richard is a retired youth director of the Youth Directional Centre in Miramichi. He worked there for many years, and traveled to many developing countries.
He discussed the possible solutions Canada should apply to improve the situation among poor children.
The focus of his solutions was to promote the development of art, education and language among Canadian citizens.
This is what the Youth Directional Centre is applying, he said.
Richard said being able to support expecting mothers and promote educational progress would strongly improve Canadians’ lifestyle.
He said every child is called to achieve his best potential in life. This can only happen through a good system of education.
Richard said it is important to create a strong culture of learning in New Brunswick.
“It’s a national shame to a country like Canada to endure that kind of situation.”
To achieve happiness in the society, people need to achieve their highest potential and to promote social justice, he said.
“We can only improve if we know who we are and we are proud of it.”
