| This thesis examines how the restructuring of social programs influence children in low income families. By tracking discourse on economically vulnerable children and whether or not their poverty levels have decreased since the 1989 House of Commons resolution, this research offers new insight specifically to Toronto, Canada. This study is necessary given the high rate of child poverty, which the Canadian government promised to eliminate by 2000. I argue that existing research in this area is underfunded and fails to offer a holistic analysis on how poverty affects families from diverse backgrounds. Using an anti-racist feminist perspective, I account for barriers that maintain the low-income status of children and their families based on race/ethnicity, gender, indigeneity, citizenship, and class. Particular focus is placed on the effect on low income children living in lone parent female-headed households in Toronto, who overwhelmingly suffer from poverty.;The research method employed to track vulnerable children is a content analysis of provincial and municipal report cards on poverty from 1996 to 2006. Findings suggest that a lack of communication and information on child poverty contribute to the continually high child poverty rate particularly for racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse groups. Additionally, lack of consensus in defining and measuring poverty is responsible for the increasing child poverty rates. This study suggests a new standardized tool must be used to measure child poverty in Canada and its surrounding municipalities. |
