Poverty and one's own fault

Je komt in Canada nogal vaak mensen tegen die echt arm zijn. Er zijn veel zwervers, daklozen of bedelaars, vooral in de grote steden.

Armoede in Canada kun je ook zien aan het huizenbestand, dat hier en daar echt op sloppenwijken begint te lijken. Dat is niet alleen in de grote steden, ook in de dorpjes kun je schrijnende gevallen van armoede tegenkomen.

A striking phenomenon in Canada is that many not only react nonchalantly to it, but also look down on "those people". Many think that it is simply their own fault. They should have worked harder.

Assistance level

Definition of poverty

There is actually no definition of poverty in Canada. There is an official poverty line, but if you are below it, it gives you very few rights.

Assistance for the homeless and vagrants is minimal and depends a lot on where you are, but never more than a pittance. This is because they have no fixed address.

There is no rent subsidy here.

Addicts

From one problem to another

Psychiatric clinics have been closed for decades. People are given a pill.

If the situation does get out of hand, there is hardly any shelter available.

Addiction and all sorts of other abuses are lurking. Heavy narcotics produce thousands of victims each year.

Charity

That too is often more than sad

Fortunately, there are quite a few "food banks" in Canada, and they have become much busier in recent years.

There are also soup kitchens and other institutions based on charity.

Especially in the big cities it is a very sad sight to see the enormous crowds at these kinds of distribution points. The police often have to be present.