The federal government could save billions of dollars if it tackled the roots of poverty, according to a new report from a government advisory body.

The report from the National Council of Welfare urges the governing Tories to take a long-term "investment" approach to preventing poverty, rather than a short-term program spending approach.


It says the public cost of poverty is easily $25 billion a year, and climbing — all while the poverty rate does not improve.

"The costs and consequences of poverty are much larger than direct spending on social programs. We see the total costs when indirect and societal costs are taken into account," the report says.

The council has been able to look at the cost of poverty in a way that federal departments can't, said Conservative Senator Hugh Segal, who has long been involved in poverty eradication.

Federal departments analyze poverty programs with a simple cost-benefit analysis, while the council report is able to look at "the cost of inertia, the cost of not doing anything," Segal said.

But the new report uses hard numbers to link poverty to the cost of productivity, health care and the justice system, he added.

"It's a very good way to encourage public debate and discussion."


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/201 ... eport.html


To bad the elite don't think the poor are worth the time..that we are just wasteless food eaters and resource users...