Poverty is a state of being extremely poor, and around 4.9 million Canadians are affected by it. This means that every 1 in 8 people live in poverty. Poverty is often a result of a lack of economic security which can be caused by poor education. Poverty causes a chain reaction known as the vicious cycle, which affects income, education, health, and many other things too.

Poverty more often affects certain groups of people such as indigenous people, people with disabilities, and women. People who live with disabilities, whether it is mental or physical, are twice as likely to live below the poverty line. Because of this around 15% of people with disabilities live in poverty. It is estimated that out of the homeless population, about 45% have a disability. 21% of single mothers in canada are raising their child or children in poverty. These are just a few facts for some of the groups that are widely represented within people living in poverty.

Child poverty is also a very big problem. Out of the 4.9 million people living in poverty, 3 million of them are children. This adds up to around 1 in 5 children in Canada are living in poverty. The rates of child poverty among the indigenous communities are even higher. About 1 in 2 indigenous children live in poverty.

This is a major issue that needs to be solved right away. Although an immediate solution is not available we can still do other things to help solve or even reduce poverty in Canada. Some ways we can take action are donating to organizations that help people who are living in poverty, sign petitions, help create awareness for the issue through forms such as social media, and participating in protests.