Project completed Fall 2009
Original Project Description
Organization
Projet Genesis
Description
As a result of the adoption of bill 112 in December 2002, the Government of Quebec is under the obligation to adopt a 3 year action plan to fight against poverty. The first action plan was tabled late after the adoption of bill 112, in the spring 2004.
The government of Quebec will table a new action plan in the spring 2009. In face of the upcoming action plan, we, as an antipoverty organisation feel the need for a critical review of the government of Quebec’s actions (or inaction), in order to back up criticism with facts, and give fuel to our demands.
According to most antipoverty organisations, the first action plan failed to significantly improve living conditions for many people living in extreme poverty, like those who depend on welfare as their main or only source of income, for example.
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The plan also failed to respond adequately to the urgent need for more social housing. Some government measures succeeded in increasing the available income for families with at least some work income. But these improvements have been partly cancelled by other changes in policy, such as an increase in the parental contribution to subsidized daycare (from 5$ to 7$ a day), increases in HydroQuebec rates (a result of the government calling for more revenue from HydroQuebec) or the government choosing to reduce income tax and pave the way to privatization for many public services, and by external factors such as inflation and lack of adequate control over rent increases.
About the Organization
Project Genesis is an antipoverty grassroots organization, in existence since 1978, located in the extremely diverse, multi-ethnic neighbourhood of Côte-des-Neiges.
We do social advocacy around people’s rights and access to social programs, on the individual and collective levels, with an empowerment approach. Our areas of intervention include housing (tenants’ rights), social housing (local development as well as ensuring governmental funding), welfare, pensions, access to healthcare.
Our organization encourages people to become actively involved in their community (including Project Genesis) and to work together to defend social rights and improve living conditions for all.
A more detailed description can be found on our website: www.genese.qc.ca
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