The Social Assistance Summaries series tracks the number of recipients of social assistance (welfare payments) in each province and territory.
For the total incomes available to those relying on social assistance, visit the Welfare in Canada report.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s social assistance program
Social assistance is the income program of last resort. It is intended for households who have exhausted all other means of financial support. Every province and territory has its own social assistance program(s), and no two are the same.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, social assistance is referred to as Income Support (IS). IS provides financial benefits and other services to eligible low-income people to assist in meeting daily living expenses. Basic benefits include a family and individual benefit (to assist with expenses such as food, clothing, personal care, household maintenance, and utilities) and a shelter benefit (to assist with rent, mortgage costs, utilities, and municipal taxes).
Depending on individual circumstances, recipients may also qualify for non-basic benefits such as municipal tax payments, prescription glasses, and special diets. Recipients can also receive further benefits outside of IS by other departments and agencies, such as a prescription drug card, medical transportation, and medical equipment.
How many people claim social assistance?
In 2021-22, there were on average about 20,000 cases (families or single adults) and slightly over 28,100 beneficiaries (individual claimants, their partners, and dependent children) in Newfoundland and Labrador’s Income Support (IS) program. The number of cases and beneficiaries fell consistently from the mid1990s through to the mid-2010s, followed by a period of stability up until the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Cases and beneficiaries of Income Assistance then saw decreases in both 2020-2021 and 2021-22.
Figure 1NL – Yearly cases and beneficiaries of Income Support (IS) in Newfoundland and Labrador, 1997 to 2022
What proportion of the population receives social assistance?
In 2021-22, on average, seven per cent of people in Newfoundland and Labrador under 65 received Income Support (IS), which is one in 14. The proportion of recipients receiving IS has followed a similar pattern as the total number of recipients. On average, the proportion has consistently decreased, more than halving from a high of 14.7 per cent in 1996-97.
Note: The total population under 65 is estimated on July 1 of a given year, whereas social assistance beneficiary data is a fiscal year average (April to March).
Figure 2NL – Yearly beneficiaries of Income Support (IS) as a proportion of the under-65 population in Newfoundland and Labrador, 1997 to 2022
Who is receiving social assistance?
In 2021-22, unattached singles were the majority household of both cases and beneficiaries of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Income Support (IS) program, with, on average, 76 per cent of cases and 54 per cent of beneficiaries. Single parents are second with nearly 17 per cent of cases and just under 32 per cent of beneficiaries.
IS beneficiaries were almost equally split between female and male recipients, with slightly more females.
Figure 3NL – Cases and beneficiaries of Income Support (IS) by household in Newfoundland and Labrador, 2020-2021 and 2021-22
A. Cases
B. Beneficiaries
Figure 4NL – Beneficiaries of Income Support (IS) by gender in Newfoundland and Labrador, 2020-2021 and 2021-22
Data
Figure 5NL – Yearly social assistance data for Newfoundland and Labrador, 1997 to 2022
Figure 6NL – Social assistance data by household for Newfoundland and Labrador, 2020-21 and 2021-22
Figure 7NL – Social assistance data by gender for Newfoundland and Labrador, 2020-21 and 2021-22
Data notes
- The data reflects the average number of cases and beneficiaries over the fiscal year (April 1 to March 31).
- Prior to the 2022 edition of Social Assistance Summaries, social assistance data for Newfoundland and Labrador was provided as calendar-year average.
- Ten beneficiaries in 2020-21 and 14 beneficiaries in 2021-22 were not categorized into either male or female gender options. They were labeled “X.”
- There are three First Nations reserves in Newfoundland and Labrador. Conne River is self-governed and operates its own social services programs. Its case and beneficiary numbers are not included in the data. The two other reserves are in Labrador: Natuashish and Sheshatshiu. From April 1, 2016, the delivery of Income Support was devolved to the Innu and statistics for these communities are no longer included in the data.
- Click here for more information about how the data is gathered
Resources
- Download the all-Canada report as a PDF
- Download the data for Newfoundland and Labrador
- Download the data for all of Canada
- Further breakdowns on social assistance data in Newfoundland and Labrador can be found on the province’s website