A new report shows a slight decrease in the number of children living in poverty in Nova Scotia but still no meaningful progress.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – Nova Scotia, released its 2025 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty, Wednesday, based on data from 2023.
The report shows 22.7 per cent of children lived in poverty, a 4.6 per cent decrease from 2022, however that is still over 40,000 children.
These figures leave Nova Scotia with the highest rate of child poverty in Atlantic Canada and third-highest for all the provinces in Canada.
Co-author and director Dr. Christine Saulnier says when one in five children live in poverty, that is policy failure.
“The structural drivers reflected in the 2023 data – low wages, inadequate income supports, and unaffordable housing- remain in place today. This government cannot claim progress while maintaining the lowest per-capita spending on social protection in Canada,” says Saulnier.
She says knowing what works, the question is whether this government is prepared to invest at the scale required.
“As the legislature opens, children and families deserve more than incremental change. The upcoming budget is the clearest opportunity to demonstrate whether reducing child poverty is truly a priority,” says report co-author and Acadia University Sociology professor and Director of Fed Family Lab, Dr. Lesley Frank.
Legislature begins February 23.
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