The Council published reports and communicated with the Minister on a wide range of issues involving poverty and public policy.
It also presented submissions to Parliamentary Committees and Royal Commissions and participated in a range of government and non-government workshops and events on poverty-related issues.
Official federal and provincial government appointees were excluded and representation was changed to include persons from non-government sources with experience in fields such as labour, teaching and welfare, as well as persons in receipt of one form or other of welfare benefits.
In a press release [January 19, 1970] announcing the establishment of the new National Council of Welfare, the Minister of Health and Welfare, John Munro, stated that: There has been a great deal of talk about the need to create opportunities for the poor to participate in the development of programs aimed at combating poverty … I believe that this Council can make an important contribution to achieving that end.One of the early activities of the Council was to develop a proposal for the first national conference of representatives of organizations of the poor.
At the conference, over 500 delegates representing more than 250 anti-poverty groups passed resolutions aimed at fighting poverty in Canada.