Caring For Canadians

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Caring For Canadians

The Third word – CARE

“It is time to care for our fellow man. Brock knew that.” These words are from the statement of Colleen Myrol quoted at the start of this essay on crime. Who else knows that? Who else CARES?

Who cares, that the actual unemployment rate in Canada approaches 18%? Government sources claim under 8%.

Who cares, that most unemployed persons are under age 30?

Who cares, that 5 million Canadians are classed as living in poverty?

Who cares, that 55% of female lone-parent families are classed as living in poverty?

Who cares, that 44% of elderly persons are classed as living in poverty?

Who cares, that over 65% of all Native Canadians are classed as living in poverty?

Source: Prepared by the Canadian Council on Social Development, using Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 75–202-XIE.
“15% of all persons in Canada were living in poverty in 1990. By 1999, the proportion of persons in Canada had increased to 16.2%. There were an estimated 4,886,000 persons living in poverty in 1999; of these, 1,298,000 were children under the age of 18.”

Who cares, that current welfare system promotes dependency?

Who cares, that such welfare dependency harms children?

Source: National Center for Policy Analysis

• Increasing the length of time a child spends on welfare may reduce the child's intelligence (IQ) by as much as 20 percent.
• Receiving welfare as a child has a negative effect on the earnings and employment of young men, compared to children in households with identical income not from welfare.
• Welfare and living in a single-parent family during childhood is strongly associated with criminal activity among young men and having illegitimate children among young women.
• Experts have concluded that illiteracy is a large contributor to delinquency.
• More than three out of four of those on welfare, 85 percent of unwed mothers and 68 percent of those arrested are illiterate.

Who cares, that 25% of secondary school students are at risk of not graduating?

Who cares, that all provinces continue to cut education funding on a per capita basis?

Source: Canadian Teachers' Federation

Who cares, that most education cuts are to special needs programs?

Who cares, that 1 in 9 people in Canada will become a victim of crime this year 2006?

Who cares, that 1 in 3 youths in Canada will become a victim of a criminal act this year 2006?

Who cares, that near all vandalism is carried out by neighborhood youths?

Who cares, that most crimes could have been prevented by proper intervention?

Who cares?   – We all must care.

Crime prevention is the most under funded and least co-ordinated part of the Canadian justice system.

Most programs in Canada are re-active, after the fact, rather then pro-active, involved with prevention. There are resources available to assist schools and communities to mobilize a Crime Prevention Strategy, it is just a matter of bringing together enough people WHO CARE. Together communities can take a huge bite out of crime and make Canada a safer more peaceful Nation.

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National Crime Prevention Strategy – Community Mobilization Fund
Mandate "The Community Mobilization Program (CMP) helps communities develop comprehensive and sustainable approaches to crime prevention and undertake activities that deal with the root causes of crime in their communities.

Examples of root causes of crime include poor or inadequate parenting, substance abuse, inappropriate peer association, poor academic achievement, and a lack of training or employment." – See publicsafety.gc.ca – programs

One such program is underway in Alberta and could prove a model across Canada; Safe and Caring Schools and Communities

The Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities (SACSC) is a non-profit organization that seeks to educate children and youth, as well as the adults in their lives, in a way that promotes positive social interaction among all human beings. The programs aim to prevent bullying and violence in schools and communities through character building and conflict management. They promote a problem-solving approach to discipline that encourages positive social behavior by helping young people learn from their mistakes and understand why certain behavior is inappropriate.

The SACSC programs promote consistency at home, at school and in the community. School programs support the positive values that parents want to instill in their children. SACSC uses a comprehensive approach that includes components for students, teachers, support staff, parents and other members of the community. The Society for SACSC has no religious affiliations. The values promoted through SACSC character education such as respect, responsibility, inclusiveness, caring and compassion are acceptable among all cultural and religious groups.

This website provides free information to help teachers, school staff, parents, students, and members of the community to build safe, caring and inclusive schools and communities.
Atlantic Crime Prevention Resource Centre is a regional reference and resource centre on crime prevention and community safety.

The Centre serves to promote a climate of cooperation and joint planning between various levels of government and community. In addition to information services, consultative services are offered to community groups, voluntary organizations and provincial departments on such matters as project development and community development.

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