by John Kane

Great events sometimes take us by surprise. It isn't always easy to remember that those moments in history that we later regard as great and momentous were once part of the lives of ordinary people, were once part of the now. Something is happening in Quebec, right now, that may change the world. That something is a groundswell of support building behind a citizens' movement demanding that the government of Quebec pass framework legislation to outlaw poverty. Such legislation would be a first, not only in Canada, but in the world. And despite the naysayers, the project is moving closer to success than many would have thought possible.

The movement is not new, but it has been growing in size and momentum in recent years. The cause is currently being championed by the Coalition for a Law on the Elimination of Poverty (Collectif pour une loi sur l'élimination de la pauvreté), a broad coalition of 21 community, labour, feminist, religious, student and cooperative associations, which last year produced a draft law to present to the Quebec government. The Coalition enjoys the support of 1,300 community, labour and parish groups throughout the province, and it has already collected more than 183,000 signatures on a petition endorsing its draft legislation.

Vivian Labrie, one of the principal actors in the draft legislative proposal, takes pride in what the Coalition has achieved so far, especially given the fact that it flies in the face of government preoccupations with deficit reduction and debt control. "What we are doing obviously runs counter to the current tendencies of our society," says Labrie, "But it is in line with the greater movement of history." In fact, Labrie sees the work of the Coalition as a direct and logical extension of a process that has been underway since the world's nations declared in 1948 that "all human beings are born equal in rights and dignity." It is also, she stresses, in line with the more recent declarations of the United Nations on the elimination of poverty, including the World Summit in Copenhagen in 1995.

For more than two years, Labrie and a team of volunteers have worked on successive versions of the draft legislation, relying on input from community, labour and other groups. The current and final draft was adopted only after extensive public consultations. "Our guiding principle was that this had to be a people's law. It won't work unless the people are behind it, unless the majority want it and can support it," says Labrie. And the people seem to agree. As recently as this May, up to 2,000 demonstrators gathered at the National Assembly in Quebec City to show their support for the Coalition's draft legislation.

The proposed legislation sets out three principles to guide the government. First, that the elimination of poverty is a priority worthy of the same urgency that was given to the elimination of the deficit. Second, that the incomes of the poorest of the poor should be improved immediately. And third, that anti-poverty groups should be involved in the implementation and evaluation of an anti-poverty program. The program would set out to eradicate poverty in Quebec within 10 years.

Recently, representatives of the Coalition have been meeting with the leaders of Quebec's political parties to present them with copies of the draft legislation and to seek their endorsement. Labrie is anxious that the proposal, coming as it does from Quebec citizens, have the endorsement not only of the government, but of the entire National Assembly. Not that either one is yet in the bag. The Quebec government, doubtless worried about its bottom line, has been wary of the proposal, but the Parti Quebecois' own membership voted at their last convention to accept the principle of a law to eliminate poverty.

The Coalition partners are wary, too, of having the government co-opt the project. When news was leaked in June that the government of Quebec was planning to launch its own white paper proposing a sweeping law to eliminate poverty, Labrie and her colleagues reacted with alarm. "We want the government to work from the plan that we have put on the table, that we have spent two years working on, that the people of Quebec have endorsed," says Labrie. "Not on some other basis imposed from the top down."

How the government will respond in the long term is anyone's guess. Quebec Premier Lucien Bouchard was scheduled to meet with representatives of the Coalition on August 29 and be presented with a copy of the draft legislation. Although expectations are not high that the Premier will commit his government to action soon, Labrie is undaunted. "The political will must be there. We have launched debate on this issue. Quebeckers can now ask themselves whether they want the gap between the rich and poor to widen, or to be reduced. Their response will force political leaders to respond to the issue."

John Kane is the Communications Officer at the CCSD.

Canadian Council on Social Development, 190 O'Connor Street, Suite 100, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2R3