Moreover studies have shown that to receive any benefit from the deduction, based on the average number of dependants per family in Nunavik, the individual's revenue must be $30,000. or greater (according to the 1991 census conducted by Statistics Canada, average income of the Inuit population of Nunavik was $l4,755.).

9. Is particularly worried that, owing to the crisis, the percentage of the population at risk of poverty or social exclusion, suffering of material deprivation, environmental degradation and poor housing conditions, or having very low work intensity and threatened by exclusion and energy poverty has increased considerably, with greater prevalence in convergence regions and cities, and in particular in the regions around capital cities which, according to the indicators, are classified as developed, while also affecting more particularly women, single parent families ...[+++], large families with four or more children, carers (especially carers of disabled family members), members of marginalised communities or older people close to retirement for whom access to equal opportunities is difficult;

20. Recognises the huge social and economic contribution made by family members acting as carers and volunteers (informal care), and the increasing responsibilities placed upon them by reductions in service provision or the rising costs thereof; considers that austerity measures should not lead to overburdening informal carers even further; stresses the importance of recognising the expertise of carers and guaranteeing high-quality work; calls for appropriate support and assistance for family ...[+++] members acting as carers in terms of combining care and career, and considers that time spent as a carer must be calculated into pension eligibility; stresses that most care provision in the EU is provided on an informal basis, i.e. by family members and volunteers, and calls on the Commission, the Member States and the social partners to enhance the appreciation of and financial rewards for this contribution;

57. Urges the Member States, as part of measures to support employment – especially among women – through the reconciliation of work and family life, to facilitate access to quality and affordable care facilities, since a significant proportion of EU citizens remain outside the labour market because they are taking care of a family member, which increases the risk that they will fall into poverty;

This would be a very different position from the one that this party has taken in national politics, where it is cutting child benefit, the reimbursement of medicine costs for the chronically ill and income tax deductions for spending on education and health, and where it is drastically increasing the tax burden on the public, particularly lower income families with children.

Extending working lives and raising employment levels as key drivers of the modernisation of social protection Stronger focus on implementation and synergies ahead of next year's planned extension to health care of social protection and social inclusion processes Perseverance and ambition in tackling the roots of poverty and exclusion Multi-faceted approaches and strategies continue to be a priority; key priority areas include preventing child poverty, supporting the caring capacities of families ...[+++], addressing gender inequalities, tackling homelessness and opening new routes to integration of ethnic minorities and migrants Considering how to make the national strategies more effective, when evaluating the OMC next year Bringing people back to the labour market, maintaining workers in employment In the area of pensions, maintaining older workers in employment