On Clause 7.1,
Tony Martin moved, — That Bill C-22 be amended by adding after line 3 on page 3 the following new clause:“7.1 In exercising the powers and performing the duties or functions assigned to the Minister under this or any other Act, the Minister shall consider the following principal elements of a social development approach:
(a) social protection that provides a safety net for persons by
(i) providing a minimum level of income to persons who become unemployed, sick, or otherwise unable to work,
(ii) providing access to affordable health services for persons who are sick or disabled, and accommodation assistance for persons with housing needs, and
(iii) ensuring that support is available to individuals and families;
(b) a social investment strategy that
(i) reduces the future burden on the social protection system,
(ii) provides the flexibility and resilience required to deal with future pressures on Canadian society,
(iii) builds capacity within different levels of government and civil society,
(iv) sets short- and long-term goals with targets and timetables, and
(v) includes a gender and race analysis of existing and future social policy initiatives;
(c) an active approach that helps persons move towards economic self-reliance by
(i) ensuring that policies and services meet immediate needs, and
(ii) focusing on achieving long-term outcomes for individuals and families;
(d) public participation, achieved by
(i) establishing meaningful mechanisms to ensure democratic participation in all spheres of public life, including mechanisms to ensure the participation of disabled persons, and
(ii) empowering poor or disadvantaged persons by providing them with access to information and knowledge about their rights, and evaluating the outcome of mechanisms put in place to ensure such access.”