Social service providers — the food banks, employment centres, newcomer support agencies, and more — of Canada have had a front-row seat to the social and economic devastation COVID-19 has brought communities across the country. 

These organizations watched closely to see what promises Canadian politicians made during this election period. For many, this brought disappointment; barely any of the aspiring leaders of the country mentioned the massive challenges they’re working to solve.

Future of Good asked nine leaders working in frontline social services: What’s something that didn’t get nearly enough airtime during the election, but should be top priority post-election. Here’s what they told us.

Refugees and newcomers need access to jobs

“As an immigrant and refugee serving agency, what did not receive as much attention but should be made a priority [moving forward] is bringing the immigration levels up post-COVID, with an actionable plan to upgrade, reskill and upskill new immigrants and get them into the right jobs, quickly. We are already seeing an upward turn in the economy, with a slow but steady job growth (over the past three months) but underemployment at its lowest level since Feb. 2020. New immigrants are coming into the country with specific professional skills sets, but due to the lack of rapid skills development programs they are forced to take survival jobs. We need to bring in new immigrants at an increased and faster rate and prepare them for suitable jobs to meet the urgent demands of the Canadian job market.” – Surranna Sandy, CEO, Skills for Change

How does the government plan to work with the social sector for recovery?

“We didn’t hear enough about the role of the social services sector in the post-pandemic recovery. Throughout the pandemic, 211 has sat on community response tables with partners such as United Way, municipal governments and other frontline agencies. Together we worked to identify the greatest needs, and how to meet them at a community level. The sector has a critical role to play in helping the government set the right policies and make the right investments to support those hardest hit by the pandemic which is critical for a more equitable economic recovery.” – Karen Milligan, executive director, Ontario 211

Low-income seniors need better support

“One issue of note that was absent from discussion during the federal election was regarding the Federal Government’s supports for low-income seniors. Many low-income seniors do not have access to private pensions or other income sources to supplement their Old Age Security (OAS) payments and rely on the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) to help them meet their basic needs. Unfortunately, the GIS program disincentivizes seniors from pursuing additional income as this is taken almost dollar-for-dollar off of their GIS payments. We feel that modernizing this system to allow seniors to have more flexibility in their income generation would be a net positive for both those seniors and the broader community.” – Sean Miles, director, Binners Project 

More than ever, Canadians don’t want to age in institutions. What’s the alternative?

“Healthy aging absolutely needs to be more of a focal point and priority. With the pandemic, there’s been so much discussion about the long-term care crisis and how many new beds we need to build — but we’ve somehow missed a bigger opportunity to think and talk about how we want to age in the first place. No one aspires to live in a nursing home or hospital, so why do we continue to make institutionalization the default option for aging Canadians? We need a whole new approach to supporting people at home so they remain connected to their communities and the people and activities they love. It’s a seismic shift — not just for health care, but social services, housing, community design, financial planning and our narratives on aging more broadly.”  – Shirlee Sharkey, CEO, SE Health

We still have a she-cession on our hand

“Women’s issues were largely absent or barely mentioned in the leaders’ debate. As the pandemic persists, women will continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of its burden because of existing gender inequalities. More needs to be discussed to advance gender equality, as we are in a critical time to fill the disparity as Canada’s Global Gender Gap Index ranking fell to 24th in 2020 as other countries step forward. There is no post-pandemic recovery without gender equality in our economy. It’s time to pay attention to women’s issues.” – Meseret Haileyesus, CEO, Canadian Centre for Women’s Empowerment

Fulfilling the big promises made to Black Canadians 

“Black communities were made promises and commitments by the federal government, but during this election, there seems to have been a lack of conversation regarding these promises. The work started and commitments made to the Black Community need to be continued to fruition.” – Agapi Gessesse, executive director, Centre for Young Black Professionals 

Household food insecurity is skyrocketing — what now?

“One issue that wasn’t fully addressed this federal election was the high rates of household food insecurity (HFI) across the country, which affects one in eight households nationally. Despite an injection of $250 million during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic into the charitable food sector, these short-term interventions do not reduce HFI levels overall. Permanently reducing HFI rates will require new measures to redistribute income, including the introduction of a universal basic income and more consistent monitoring of food prices. While this is an important issue with key ramifications and reachable solutions, it sadly went unaddressed during this election.” – Rob Moquin, Food Matters Manitoba 

Indigenous people living urban areas are at risk of losing support 

“Our number one priority this election [was] the enhancement and renewal of Friendship Centre funding. We are asking the next Government of Canada to renew and enhance Friendship Centre funding at a minimum of $60 million per year for at least the next ten years. The issue of adequate funding for programs, services and capacity to support urban Indigenous people has not yet received the level of commitment we would like to see. This lack of commitment puts thousands of jobs at risk and a million Indigenous people at risk of no culturally relevant supports, programs or services provided by Friendship Centres.” – Jocelyn Formsma, executive director, National Association of Friendship Centres 

Tackling food insecurity beyond band-aid solutions

“Food insecurity is an issue that has affected the lives of folks across the country for many years, and its impacts have certainly been exacerbated as a result of the pandemic — especially for Indigenous and Black Communities, people experiencing poverty, and other folks in the margins. During this election, we didn’t hear a ton about the various parties’ plans to tackle food insecurity, and when we did, the majority of platforms prioritized band-aid solutions like food banking and food rescue. Emergency food aid is necessary, of course, but the incoming federal government should be focusing on building sustainable, long-term solutions to the problem — ones that change the underlying conditions that breed food insecurity. Food insecurity is inextricably linked to broader systems and structures of oppression that touch our lives, like structural poverty, systemic racism, and settler-colonialism, so any meaningful conversation about the issue needs to take into consideration the ways these systems shape people’s experiences.” – jade guthrie, community food programs educator and curriculum lead, Foodshare 

The key intersection between employment status and mental health

“In this election, candidates have spoken to some degree about the issues of employment and mental health, but the incoming government should look at where these two issues intersect. Employment is one of the ways that we as individuals cultivate a sense of belonging and connection to the broader community, in addition to gaining independence, self-confidence and a sense of mastery, all of which play a huge role in mental wellbeing. When we look at the barriers to employment people experience, the job market is only one piece of the puzzle. Other key pieces are issues such as the need to meet basic needs like housing and food first, the ability to access to childcare, and creating environments that support and value people with mental health challenges and disabilities. We must take a critical look at the intersectionality between employment, mental health, and social inequalities that contribute to the greater challenge of connecting people with job opportunities and support in their community. Supporting inclusive hiring practices, mental health training for employers, a review of labour standards to ensure the use of leave for mental health reasons, greater expanded access to mental health care for all workers and those who are self-employed, are all areas that can improve mental health outcomes for our communities and have a greater impact on economic recovery in Canada.” – Hailey Hechtman, executive director, Causeway Work Centre 

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