Tuesday marked the 20th anniversary of the House of Commons pledge to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000. Made through a motion delivered by Oshawa MP Ed Broadbent on Nov. 24, 1989, and supported by all parties, the pledge stressed that the Canadian government would do everything it could to wipe out child poverty in this wealthy country by the turn of the millennium.

Nearly a decade beyond that deadline, it's clear that by any measure, there is much work yet to do.

It hasn't helped that there have been two major recessions during the past 10 years. This last one, which is two years long and showing small signs of coming to an end, has been particularly devastating. But we also suffered some economic hardships in the wake of 9/11 that didn't help the cause of social programs either.

Still, when times were good and surpluses flowed freely for federal and provincial governments alike during the 1990s and during the middle part of the current decade, not enough was done to deal with child poverty.

The national poverty rate of 9.5 per cent for the latest year measured, 2007, shows a slight decrease since 1989 when it measured 11.9 per cent. In Ontario, the rate is 9.4 per cent, or 257,000 children living in poverty. While a small improvement is better than nothing it's a far cry from the pledge to end child poverty.

Back in 2000, this newspaper did a year-long series on child poverty investigating the impact government policies had on families living on the edge. At the end of the series, we evaluated what steps the feds needed to take if child poverty was to be cut in the years to come. A look back at that 2000 editorial's five main points is revealing nine years later.

In December 2000, we said Ontario would have to restore the 21 per cent in benefits cut to welfare recipients in 1995 if poor children were to have a chance. We also advocated an increase by the feds for the minimum bar for paying tax, along with in increase in the amounts paid in monthly GST and child tax credits. Our third request was an increase in funding to health care and education. Point four was the demand for free national or at least affordable day care. And finally, housing, in the form of women's and children's shelters and for low-income families is needed. We urged the feds and the Province, with subsidies to private builders, to construct that housing.

Nearly a decade later, the score is mixed on those five points. The McGuinty Liberals have restored some of that 21 per cent in welfare cuts, the feds have increased the minimum bar for paying tax, funding for health care and education has increased, but only small advances have been made on the day care or housing front at all. Day care and housing is critical and must be a federal priority in future budgets.

However, the minimum wage has been boosted substantially over the last seven years, a provincial initiative.

Yet there is much to be done. As we climb out of this recession, the Province and feds must recommit to reducing child poverty so that kids everywhere will have an equal chance to succeed.