The finance department at 50 Wynford Drive is pleased to welcome Margaret Bucknole as the new senior clerk, accounts receivable. Born in Fraserborough, Scotland, she emigrated to Canada with her parents, Mary and Bill Noble, in the 1950's. Margaret lives in Pickering with her husband Chris and their three sons David, Andrew and Matthew. They are members at St. Andrew's, Ajax, Ont.
A few weeks ago, a report was released suggesting more than one million children in Canada are living below the poverty line. Campaign 2000, a national watchdog organization, said more than 15 per cent of Canadian children live in low-income families who earn less than two-thirds the national median hourly wage of about $10. Moderator Rick Fee was forthright in his reaction, calling the situation “a real scandal.” It is.
The report was issued 15 years after all parties in the House of Commons vowed to fix the problem of child poverty. The rate was about the same then, although three times the rate of most northern European countries, and actually climbed to almost 22 per cent in 1996. In response to the recent news, the federal Social Development Department offered the lame defence that Statistics Canada figures from 2002 indicate the child poverty rate is closer to 10 per cent, or 700,000 children.
The federal government has the right to legalize same-sex marriage, according to a unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada. The country's highest court said in its decision, ".our Constitution is a living tree which, by way of progressive interpretation, accommodates and addresses the realities of modern life."