It’s easy to be cynical about Jagrup Brar, the MLA who has plunged into darkest Metro Vancouver like an anthropologist, exploring life on welfare, trailed by a long line of media cameras.
The only thing missing is the pith helmet and Dr. Livingstone.
His every experience is breathlessly documented by the team of reporters following in his wake.
A Surrey shelter only has one bathroom for 50 people. Ooooh.
After rent, transit passes and his cellphone, he is left with 30 bucks a week for groceries. Another collective media gasp.
You might argue this is the smartest political move he’s ever made. Here’s a guy who’s been elected three times and the first thing that came to mind when he announced he was taking the MLA Welfare Challenge from an anti-poverty group called Raise the Rates was “who?”
Today, Jagrup Brar is the most famous guy in town as he tries to sustain himself on welfare. He has three more weeks to go before he can go back to his family, his $100,000 job and the ability to stay well fed on stories from his brief journey to Hunger.
But, if it’s easy to be cynical about Jagrup Brar, what about the other 84 fat cats who didn’t take up the MLA Challenge, who chose instead to let What’s His Name take one for the team in the coldest and wettest month of the year?
In the province with the worst poverty in the country, where are they? It should be mandatory for every MLA to go through what Brar is going through. How long do you think it would be before welfare rates, which actually went down in 2002 before they went up a bit in 2007, doubled?
And what about all those reporters so breathlessly documenting the Trials of Jagrup? When was the last time they spent the night at a homeless shelter or talked to real poor people instead of just turning up at the nearest news conference about poverty?
And finally, what about me? I can think of a thousand reasons why I’m too busy to spend a month on welfare, away from family, friends and the fridge. My only consolation is that I have lots of company. No one else I know wants to do it either.
So I read Jagrup’s blog. His unfiltered, unspun account of his day-to-day life on welfare is actually quite powerful, moving and surprising. If you thought welfare was easy street, read his blog and learn, starting with the 68-page application required just to get on the dole.
Just reading about it is tough. But it’s a sure cure for cynicism. Visit mlaonwelfare.com.
