ABSTRACT
Canada! For many people, including a substantial number of Canadians, the name evokes a land of milk and honey, a land full of limitless opportunity for individuals willing and able to work hard. For them, to be poor in Canada is either unimaginable or the result of indolent, spendthrift or immoral behaviour. In a materially rich country, poverty is seen as a condition that can be avoided. Even conceding the existence of the poor, the generosity of the Canadian social safety net has, arguably, alleviated absolute poverty to such an extent that, by stark comparison to anywhere else in the world, the poor can hardly claim to be poor at all (Sarlo 1994). These laudatory images are however, quite misleading; for, as Canada's social safety net has been methodically dismantled in recent years, the reality of poverty worsens.
