The child poverty rate in New Brunswick as of 2015 remained over 20 per cent which was higher than the national average.
The child poverty rate in Saint John was 30 per cent compared to 23.7 per cent in Moncton and almost 26 per cent in Fredericton.
Randy Hatfield of the Human Development Council says these figures were compiled before the child benefit was enhanced and that will make a big difference for the better. One of the recommendations is to create a targeted GST credit of up to $18 hundred per adult and child living in poverty. It’s estimated this measure could lift over half a million people out of poverty.
The Human Development Council also reports more than 80 per cent of Arab children in New Brunswick are living in poverty compared to the national rate of 43 per cent. Almost 50 per cent of children in single parent families were living in poverty.