In December 2009, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) released its first progress report on its poverty reduction strategy – Empowering People, Engaging Community, Enabling Success. The incidence, depth and persistence of poverty in Newfoundland and Labrador have seen significant decreases. In this seminar, Donna O’Brien and Daniel Mason share perspectives on the significant progress made within government and in the community.
Learning Objective:
To learn about and begin to understand the provincial poverty reduction strategy in Newfoundland and Labrador
To learn what progress is being made on poverty reduction in the province
To understand the relevance and importance of community engagement in the strategy
Eric Leviten-Reid - Eric Leviten-Reid is the Learning and Evaluation Coordinator for the national Vibrant Communities initiative. He works for the Tamarack Institute and is a part-time community development researcher and consultant. Eric has nearly 25 years experience as a researcher and practitioner in the field of community development with a special focus on comprehensive, collaborative approaches to complex issues.
Donna O’Brien - Donna O’Brien is a registered social worker who has been working in the provincial public service for 20 years. She has held a number of senior management roles within the Provincial Government and was appointed as the Acting Director of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Poverty Reduction Strategy in January, 2010.
Daniel Mason - Daniel Mason is Senior Policy Analyst with the Poverty Reduction Strategy. He has also worked with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in Ottawa. With a background in Economics and Political Science, his areas of interest include econometric analysis and data visualization.
In 2005, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador committed to pursuing a poverty reduction strategy, and launched the initiative in June, 2006. Their goal was that Newfoundland and Labrador would be the province with the least poverty in Canada by 2014.
Donna explained that the approach was comprehensive, mindful of the special situations of aboriginal people and women in poverty, for example. The strategy connects poverty with many other issues, e.g.:
Education
Housing
Employment
Social and financial support
Health
Tax measures
Rural/urban differences
The strategy involves many government departments and agencies and is overseen by about a dozen different ministries and ministers. Key principles include collaborating with community based groups throughout the process, and a focus on long term reduction of poverty.
After research into best practices and a consultation to help design the action plan, the government started several initiatives in 2006, even before the strategy was ready.
In this clip, Donna explains that a goal of the strategy was to “break down the welfare wall”, so that initiatives would not turn into traps that kept people in poverty.
There was an extensive consultation process with the community and across government that helped develop the poverty reduction strategy. The first action plan had five goals:
Progress towards improved access to and coordination of services for people with low income
Progress towards a stronger social safety net
Progress towards improved earned incomes
Progress towards an increased emphasis on early childhood development
After three years, in December 2009, the government released its first progress report. Results include:
The incidence of poverty decreased from 12.2% in 2003 to 6.5% in 2007
The depth of poverty or average low-income gap in NL decreased, and is now the lowest in Canada
The persistence of poverty, or percentage of the NL population that remained in poverty over a six year period, also decreased
In addition, caseloads for income support decreased substantially, and individual and family benefits increased by a cumulative average of 11.6%. Over 4,000 former income support clients started new jobs between 2006 and 2008, partly because of financial incentives included in the strategy.
In this clip, Donna describes several initiatives that were part of the strategy, including the elimination of the provincial portion of income tax, an increase in the minimum wage, and the expansion of prescription drug benefits.
Daniel explained they looked for indicators that would reflect the complex, comprehensive nature of poverty and that could help measure the five goals included in the plan. They settled on fifteen indicators - some established, and some newly developed. They wanted a balance between measures that could be compared across Canada and internationally and those that would be unique to Newfoundland and Labrador.
They also wanted a balance between quantitative and qualitative measures. For example, they include a number of profiles and case studies in the progress report, as they are a good way to illustrate how initiatives affect individuals and families, which is difficult to track in any other way.
Here, Daniel explains why demographic data about poverty has limitations for a province with a smaller population like Newfoundland and Labrador. He talks about the benefits of a measure that is tailored to the province, for example, the Newfoundland and Labrador Market Basket Measure, or NLMBM.
The level of engagement with the community in this strategy has been noted by many within and outside Newfoundland and Labrador. Throughout the process the government has intentionally worked at maintaining partnerships and keeping the dialogue and feedback going - not just during the development of the plan. The community has embraced the opportunity; Donna explained that government is now invited to many tables where they weren’t welcome before.
The feedback has come in many forms: by invitation, but also through public events, open forums and written submissions. In places where response to events was small, they sought out individuals as well, to test awareness of the initiatives and seek guidance on what was going well and what needed attention.
In this clip, Donna explains that, despite the challenges of geography and logistics, both the public and the elected officials have appreciated the chance to hear first-hand from citizens.
Donna and her team are starting to design the next action plan that will guide the strategy until 2014. Because of the level of engagement, she reports that they are learning every day. There have not been major adjustments to the plan since they began, but a changing landscape in Newfoundland and Labrador may mean that the next plan will be different.
Do you think one element of the strategy is more important than another? Could there have been different goals than the five key goals they choose?
How important do you think community engagement was to the success of the strategy? What made the community engagement successful?
If you live outside Newfoundland and Labrador, what differences do you observe between this poverty reduction strategy compared to governmental poverty reduction strategies in the area where you live?
To reflect on these and other important questions, refer to the Resources and Links below.
Community Accounts – This website is an information system providing users at all levels with a reliable source of community, regional, and provincial data for Newfoundland and Labrador. The site contains the data and background for the NL market basket measure mentioned in the seminar. Access tips for new users or the main page here.
Framing Poverty as a Complex and Why That Matters - This audio seminar makes the case for framing poverty as a complex issue, describes key features of complex issues, and explores the implications for leading and managing efforts to reduce poverty. Access the seminar here.
Comprehensive Strategies for Deep Outcomes - This audio seminar explains how complex issues, like poverty, where factors are dynamic and inter-related, require comprehensive or ‘joined-up’ solutions. Access the seminar here.
In December 2009, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) released its first progress report on its poverty reduction strategy – Empowering People, Engaging Community, Enabling Success. The incidence, depth and persistence of poverty in Newfoundland and Labrador have seen significant decreases. In this seminar, Donna O’Brien and Daniel Mason share perspectives on the significant progress made within government and in the community.
Eric Leviten-Reid - Eric Leviten-Reid is the Learning and Evaluation Coordinator for the national Vibrant Communities initiative. He works for the Tamarack Institute and is a part-time community development researcher and consultant. Eric has nearly 25 years experience as a researcher and practitioner in the field of community development with a special focus on comprehensive, collaborative approaches to complex issues. 
Donna O’Brien - Donna O’Brien is a registered social worker who has been working in the provincial public service for 20 years. She has held a number of senior management roles within the Provincial Government and was appointed as the Acting Director of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Poverty Reduction Strategy in January, 2010. 
Daniel Mason - Daniel Mason is Senior Policy Analyst with the Poverty Reduction Strategy. He has also worked with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in Ottawa. With a background in Economics and Political Science, his areas of interest include econometric analysis and data visualization.
