TORONTO - The provincial government says it is committed to reducing child poverty by 25 per cent -- a target it failed to meet last year.
Deb Matthews, the minister responsible for the poverty reduction strategy, blames the federal government for the fact that Ontario's five-year pledge from 2008 wasn't met.
Matthews says the provincial government did its part and if Ottawa had come through, the goal could have been achieved.
She says the 25 per cent reduction target she announced today is based on the 2008 level of child poverty, but this time comes with no five-year time frame.
Matthews also says the Ontario government wants to end homelessness, saying it's a goal that is possible to achieve "in time."
Programs toward reducing poverty include a community homelessness prevention initiative, supportive housing spaces and local poverty reduction funds.
