Soup Line outside of Federal Minister of Finance's Office - Call for Urgent
Government Action to Help People Hurt by the Recession

    
                     WEDNESDAY, SEPT 30, 2009 12:00 Noon

     150 King Street West (Just East of University Avenue). - Outside of
         Federal Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty's Regional Office
    

TORONTO , Sept. 28 /CNW/ - The Recession Relief Coalition will be providing free food at a Soup Line outside the Minister of Finance's Office. "We believed that the image of a soup line was lost to history. Unless Governments invest in our social infrastructure, this could be our future. We are asking all political parties to step up and take more comprehensive action on recession relief," according to Bob Rose , Parkdale Activity and Recreation Centre.

"Almost half a million full time jobs have been lost in Canada since last October. The OECD projects that unemployment in Canada will climb further over the next year and that in the last recession (1990s) it took 8 years for employment levels to return to pre-recession levels and that this time may be worse. Some groups face even higher rates of unemployment including youth and immigrants. While there have been multi billion dollar bail outs of corporations and infrastructure stimulus packages - those directly hurting have received very little help from the federal government. People and communities are hurting and there is no adequate government safety net for them. Homeless drop ins and food programs have seen numbers skyrocket and they don't have the resources to meet the needs," according to John Andras , Chair of the Recession Relief Coalition.

Speakers will share stories and impacts of this recession: Good Jobs For All Coalition, The Canadian Federation of Students, The Colour of Poverty, and The Homelessness Response Alliance.

The Recession Relief Coalition is a broad-based group of organizations and individuals concerned about the impact of the recession on Canada's most vulnerable and marginalized residents. Over 260 organizations and over 1,100 individuals across Canada endorsed the coalition's call on the federal government to invest funding in recession relief.

For further information: John Andras, [phone]; Beric German, [phone] x238