Justice Charter To End Poverty in Manitoba

Justice
Charter To End Poverty
in Manitoba

We the people of Manitoba, seeing the growing gap between the
wealthy and people in need, the working poor, and discriminated groups want to act
in a timely manner to reverse the situation, to provide for people with needs and
support the right for everyone to contribute to society to the best of their ability. To this
end we make these demands and will work to make them a reality:

Housing must be a right and
a comfort, not a constant crisis!

􀂊 End subsidies to private landlords
􀂊 Establish stricter rent controls.
􀂊 Enact a Tenant Bill of Rights.
􀂊 Build and maintain public housing to the standard
building code.
􀂊 No utility cut-offs; establish a panel with legal power
to require landlords to pay.
Universal health
care for all, for every need!
􀂊 Expand medicare into a comprehensive health
care system focusing on prevention.
􀂊 Extend medicare to cover all essential services such
as eye, drug, dental, ambulance and prosthetics.
􀂊 Reduce pollution from mining and manufacturing,
especially next to low income neighborhoods.
Jobs are a human right.
Create good-paying jobs for all!
􀂊 Create jobs through a massive investment in public
housing, a public child care program, and
conversion to a “green” economy.
􀂊 Increase the minimum wage to $14 an hour.
􀂊 Quality job creation by ensuring access to
education, ending tuition fees, free student
housing, education in Aboriginal and any other
language where numbers warrant.
􀂊 Access to better jobs - reduce the work week with
no loss in pay, add paid vacation days and
reduce the pension age for women to age 60.
􀂊 End the Foreign Temporary Worker program, give
these workers full labour rights and make them
immigrants to Canada, if they so choose.
Provide for those in need!
􀂊 Introduce a Guaranteed Liveable Income, above
the poverty line and indexed to inflation.
􀂊 Improve special needs benefits and introduce a
fast appeals process with free advocacy services.
􀂊 A public, high quality, free child care program
employing well-paid early childhood
development professionals.
􀂊 Establish a hot breakfast program for children in
schools.
􀂊 For injured workers, establish a fast and free
appeals process independent of the Workers
Compensation Board. Provide free legal services
and always respect the right to appeal.
􀂊 Establish a Manitoba pension credit plan funded
by payroll deductions, a surtax on corporate
income to top up pensions above the poverty
line and an inheritance wealth tax.
􀂊 Establish a federally-chartered, publicly-owned
bank that does not discriminate against people
in poverty, is located in low-income areas, and
provides free or nonprofit cheque cashing services
and international fund transmittals.
􀂊 Establish a province-wide, free and publicly-owned
handi-transit service for people with disabilities.
􀂊 Establish price controls for essential foods throughout
Manitoba.
End racism,
sexism and discrimination of all forms!
􀂊 Support immediate settlement of Aboriginal land claims
and emergency action to end housing, health care
and education inequality.
􀂊 Take steps to recognize Aboriginal nations on a new
basis in Canada, including full national rights and
equal nation to nation relations.
􀂊 Introduce immediately affirmative action hiring with
mandatory quotas for Aboriginal people, people of
colour, women and people with disabilities in both
the public and private sector.
􀂊 Job pay equity for all workplaces.
􀂊 Replace the present legal system of retribution and
punishment with principles of restorative justice -
restitution and reconciliation; include “ability to pay”
as a consideration for sentencing people to jail for nonpayment
of fines.
􀂊 Ban discrimination based on social or mental health
conditions in the Human Rights Code.
􀂊 Introduce a Manitoba Bill of Rights based on the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (1948), adding
protections against all forms of sexism.
Reform the democratic system
􀂊 Establish proportional representation so that people
will vote for what they want and so that every person’s
vote will count.
􀂊 Pay Legislators the average worker’s wage and benefits
in Manitoba.


The Justice Charter is for
discussion by all Manitobans. The
Four Directions Committee is
planning a Conference to discuss
the Charter on November 28,
2010. Contact us to get involved
in planning the conference.
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We are inviting groups representing Aboriginal
peoples, women, workers, youth and students,
people of colour, people with disabilities, injured
workers, the working poor, people living in
poverty, people of all faiths and nonbelievers - all
supportive groups - to discuss and amend the
Charter at the Assembly. Contact the Four
Directions Committee if you would like to receive
a copy of the Call to the Conference or
comment on the Charter.
Email: fourdirectionswalk@mts.net or phone (204)
792-3371.
- Produced by volunteer labour