Educated
      poor
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Federal
      government
      committee
     
     
      wants
      to
      change
      definition
      of
     
     
      poverty
      to
      exclude
      students
     
    
   
   
    
     
      report
      from
      the
      Standing
      Committee
     
     
      A
      on
      Health
      and
      Welfare,
      Social
      Affairs,
     
    

    
     
      Seniors
      and
      the
      Status
      of
      Women
      rec-
     
     
      ommends
      that
      full-time
      students
      without
     
     
      dependents
      should
      not
      be
      included
      in
      new
      bench-
     
     
      marks
      evaluating
      poverty
      and
      income
      inequal-
     
     
      ity.
     
    

    
     
      The
      committee
      also
      says
      families
      headed
      by
     
     
      full-time
      students
      should
      answer
      questionnaires
     
     
      to
      establish
      their
      level
      of
      economic
      hardship.
     
    

    
     
      *‘We’re
      just
      trying
      to
      see
      who’s
      really
      poor,”’
     
     
      says
      the
      committee
      chair,
      Progressive
      Con-
     
     
      servative
      MP
      Barbara
      Greene.
      ‘‘[The
      report]
     
     
      is
      just
      another
      measure
      of
      poverty,
      an
      accurate
     
     
      one.’’”
     
    

    
     
      But
      Francois
      Dumaine,
      acting
      director
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      National
      AntiPoverty
      Organization,
      says
     
     
      the
      report
      is
      not
      accurate
      at
      all.
      ‘‘They
      [the
     
     
      committee
      members]
      are
      trying
      to
      sidetrack
     
     
      from
      poverty,”’
      says
      Dumaine.
     
    

    
     
      He
      says
      his
      organization
      withdrew
      from
      the
     
     
      committee
      last
      year
      because
      it
      felt
      Barbara
     
     
      Greene
      was
      pushing
      an
      agenda
      to
      redefine
      pov-
     
     
      erty
      rather
      than
      fight
      it.
     
    

    
     
      Dumaine
      says
      the
      exemption
      of
      students
     
     
      from
      poverty
      statistics
      shows
      how
      insensitive
     
     
      the
      committee
      is
      to
      poverty.
     
    

    
     
      *‘It
      marginalizes
      the
      reality
      of
      many
      Cana-
     
     
      dians,’’
      he
      says.
      In
      fact,
      Dumaine
      says,
      student
     
     
      poverty
      is
      on
      the
      rise:
     
    

    
     
      “‘We’ve
      seen
      a
      very
      big
      increase
      in
      the
     
     
      number
      of
      food
      banks
      on
      university
      campuses
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      across
      the
      country,’
      he
      says.
     
    

    
     
      But
      the
      report
      says
      poverty
      is
      a
      student’s
     
     
      choice.
      ‘‘Post-secondary
      students
      make
      their
     
     
      choices
      voluntarily.
      Most
      students
      do
      not
      suffer
     
     
      a
      low
      standard
      of
      living
      in
      the
      same
      way
      as
      do
     
     
      truly
      poor
      persons.”’
     
    

    
     
      Jocelyn
      Charron,
      communications
      officer
     
     
      for
      the
      Canadian
      Federation
      of
      Students,
      says
     
     
      students
      do
      suffer
      from
      low
      incomes
      and
      are
     
     
      suffering
      even
      more
      from
      governmentcutbacks.
     
    

    
     
      “It
      may
      be
      true
      [that
      students]
      choose
      to
      go
     
     
      to
      school,
      but
      they
      don’t
      choose
      the
      conditions
     
     
      where
      grants
      are
      cut,
      aid
      is
      cut
      and
      tuition
      is
     
     
      raised,’’
      he
      says.
     
    

    
     
      Under
      the
      heading
      The
      Case
      of
      Students,
      the
     
     
      report
      says
      students
      ‘‘choose
      to
      forego
      current
     
     
      income
      in
      exchange
      for
      expectations
      of
      higher
     
     
      future
      income
      and
      in
      exchange
      for
      the
      intangi-
     
     
      ble
      benefits
      associated
      with
      greater
      learning.’’
     
    

    
     
      But
      Charron
      says
      the
      report
      reveals
      the
     
     
      government’s
      misunderstanding
      of
      the
      condi-
     
     
      tions
      faced
      by
      students
      and
      the
      supposed
      ben-
     
     
      efits
      obtained
      from
      a
      post-secondary
      education.
     
     
      **They
      look
      on
      student
      poverty
      as
      a
      given,”’
      he
      -
     
     
      says.
      “‘That
      meniality
      really
      shows
      their
      [the
     
     
      committee
      members]
      age.’’
     
    

    
     
      The
      report’s
      recommendations
      are
      now
      be-
     
     
      ing
      reviewed
      by
      various
      government
      commit-
     
     
      tees
      and
      won’t
      be
      adopted
      until
      after
      the
      next
     
     
      election,
      providing
      the
      Tories
      are
      re-elected,
     
     
      says
      Greene.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      997).
     
     
      QRA}ton
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      October
      21,
      1993/X-Press/5