Editorial- The Insidious Poverty Epidemic: Considerations for Aboriginal Children, Families, Communities and other Indigenous Nations

While the array of articles in this issue may appear to cover eclectic topics including: the implications of reconciliation for child welfare; the special needs of Aboriginal children; Aboriginal mothers’ involvement with parenting programs; obesity issues among Aboriginal children; domestic trafficking of Aboriginal girls into the sex trade and the maltreatment of Aboriginal children and youth in Quebec, they are all tied together by one insidious common element poverty. Poverty creates a fracture in the wealth of Canadian society – one where the have nots are often poorly regarded by those more fortunate and one where governments tend to only pay lip service to addressing the unequal distribution of a wealthy nation’s resources. Aboriginal peoples are particularly disadvantaged with over one in every two Aboriginal children living below the poverty line and many Aboriginal communities struggling to get clean water to drink and healthy food to eat.