|
|
Canada has earned a world-wide reputation as a place of great expectations. It is known as a fair nation where mutual respect trumps mere tolerance, where opportunities and prosperity are within reach, where strong government and a thriving non-profit sector combine to strengthen communities and ensure dignity for most.
But with all the achievements of our great society, some indicators are heading tragically in the wrong direction. Alongside a growing income gap between rich and poor, and the rising precariousness of work, the persistence of child poverty and homelessness remind us that the Foundation’s work in 2006 was more important than ever.
It was a year where the Atkinson Economic Justice Fellows advanced our mission to promote social and economic justice: Cathy Crowe’s spirited leadership on behalf of the homeless; Armine Yalnizyan’s myth-busting research proving the cost-effectiveness of single-tier health care; and Roy Romanow’s guidance on the transformational Canadian Index of Wellbeing project.
Our partners in early childhood development remained committed to researching, developing, modeling and promoting early learning and childcare programs, confident that the undeniable importance of the early years will eventually yield meaningful national and provincial policy and funding.
The Foundation also funded a broad-based, ground-breaking report on income security. The work by the Modernizing Income Security for Working Age Adults Task Force continues to reverberate in public policy and budgetary decisions at all levels of government.
As well, 2006 marked a renewed commitment to ensuring that what we do, and with whom we do it, is seen through an inclusion lens. The feature essay in this annual report, Renewing Canada’s Great Expectations, by the Foundation’s newest Board member, Grace-Edward Galabuzi, points to another growing gap — that between Canada’s reputation and the lived experience of too many Canadians.
It reinforces the unrelenting emphasis on equity and fairness of our Founder, Joseph E. Atkinson, portrayed vividly in the Foundation’s 2006 documentary, Fighting Words.
On balance, 2006 was a productive year in our efforts to promote social and economic justice. We are grateful to our many partners and friends in this important work. There is much left to do.
Peter A. Armstrong, President and Board Chair, and
Charles E Pascal, Executive Director and Secretary to the Board
DOWNLOAD the ACF 2006 Annual Report...
Read Grace-Edward Galabuzi's oped--Toward a Decade of Hope and Prosperity--in the Toronto Star... |
|
