The Old Man in the Hat
“Please, sir, I want some more.”
Oliver Twist, 1837
Charles Dickens, in his novel, Oliver Twist, revealed to his countrymen the horrors of the workhouse, that era’s solution to the problem of providing aid to those in society unable to make ends meet. The workhouse experience of Great Britain in the 1830’s was not so much as the state’s attempt to provide for the unfortunate as it was to make state relief so undesirable that demand for assistance would fall, reducing the drain on the public purse. At this period in time, the end of a war and technological change had greatly increased the ranks of the unemployed, and the increased demand on public finances had precipitated a firming of the government’s resolve to control the costs of caring for the country’s most vulnerable citizens. It is not surprising that these policies would fall hardest on the youth of the nation. Sound familiar?
Fast forward two centuries. It is little over a year ago that the finance minister for our province, much in the spirit of Dickens’ England, suggested that appropriate incentives were not in place to encourage social assistance clients to seek employment (govspeak for “the current program is too generous”) and that jobs were close at hand for those who simply applied. Since then, however, the reported unemployment in New Brunswick has been stubbornly stuck above 11% and most certainly the “real” rate is higher that the “official” rate, making a mockery of Mr. Higgs’ musings. It is encouraging that our compassionate government, in a forceful move to improve the lot of the working poor, belatedly, increased the minimum wage to exceed that of booming Alberta, by 25 cents an hour, or in terms only a Westerner would love, by the value of 1.6 litres of gas per day!
It is little wonder that with the hard heart of government turned against the downtrodden that the Food Banks across Canada and New Brunswick, including those in Victoria County are struggling to meet demand. Food Banks Canada provides us with the disturbing facts: 52% of households aided received social assistance; 55% of food banks needed to cut back on the amount of food that they were able to provide to each household; 38% of those turning to food banks are children and youth.
At this time of the year, in the hustle and bustle of holiday preparation, it is easy to forget that for some families this is a season not filled with festivity, but with futility. It is not too late to help. Your contribution can start by contacting our local food banks:
Plaster Rock, Keeper of the Light Food Bank,
Grand Falls Regional Food Bank
Perth-Andover, Good Samaritan Food Bank
Your contribution can make a difference in the life of a neighbour today and in so doing fulfill another of Dickens’ famous lines, spoken by Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol, “God bless us, Every One.”
Further reading: theoldmaninthehat.info
