By Jo-Anne Ross, Haisla, End Legislated Poverty, excerpted from The Long Haul

In 1948, Canada signed and endorsed the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states:

"Inadequate shelter and homelessness are increasing very rapidly in many countries. Everyone has the right to an adequate standard of living for themselves and their families, including... housing".

In Canada, anti-poverty activists and housing advocates consider homelessness to be a national disaster. Both the federal and provincial governments continue to ignore the fact that there are at least 200,000 people without shelter in Canada, with the numbers increasing. The growing numbers of homeless people include: women, Aboriginal people, youth, elders, and a growing number of families with children.

During the 1990's, the federal government withdrew funding and canceled housing programs in all provinces. As a result, there are fewer housing units being built in BC.

The BC Liberals recently placed 1700 units of social housing under review. 650 units that were not yet allocated at that time are gone. The government has put a freeze on all new social housing projects, even those that had been approved earlier, as they seek ways to cut costs. To add to the insult Premier Campbell just signed a declaration calling the week of October 3 "Affordable Housing Week." Not surprisingly, with major cuts to all social services, the BC Liberals plan to privatize social housing.

Also, the BC government has closed the Residential Tenancy Offices in Nanaimo and Vancouver. These closures were pushed through without public input. The closures will have a negative effect on tenants, especially seniors, people with disabilities and people on low income. For example, people from Vancouver will have to go to Burnaby, while those living in Nanaimo will have to travel to Victoria. A quarter of BC one million tenants live in Vancouver, with 85 per cent of those living in the West End.

If the trend is allowed to continue with more cuts to services and programs in BC, we will see more people living in poverty and living on the streets. It's pretty obvious the Liberal government is not looking out for the interests of all people in the province. Thanks Gord, for the "New Error."