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MEDIA RELEASE

October 30, 2001
For Immediate Release

(OTTAWA) - "Don't forget the children!" That's the message that the Canadian School Boards Association (CSBA) will bring today to the pre-budget consultations being held by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance.

"With a dramatic shift in Canada's spending priorities, we want to ensure that the best interests of Canada's children are not forgotten," says Gary Shaddock, President of CSBA. "We know that security issues must be addressed. Our message to Paul Martin and the Finance Committee is simple: Invest in our most valuable resource - our children."

A staggering number of Canadian children and youth are living in poverty. That number has increased exponentially over the last decade. And, with the current downturn in the economy, the number of Canadian children and youth facing economic hardship will increase further.

"It is this government's responsibility to ensure that all Canadian children have equal opportunities to succeed," says Shaddock. "Not only in education, but in healthy living and acquiring life skills. Children living in poverty can face an uphill struggle - we need a level playing field." 

The Canadian School Boards Association is the national voice of school boards. It is comprised of nine provincial school board associations representing over 400 school boards and serving more than four million elementary and secondary school students. 

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For information:
Elizabeth Hodges, CSBA's Communications & Government Relations Coordinator
(613) 235-3724 ext. 23