As social assistance is a provincial/territorial responsibility, each of Canada’s 13 sub-national jurisdictions has its own program or programs with unique regulatory frameworks, administrative rules, eligibility criteria, benefit levels, and provisions for special benefits or other types of assistance. Although the specifics may vary, the basic structure of these programs is very similar across the country. Note that while the federal government has no responsibility for program design or administration, it does provide some funding for social assistance through the Canada Social Transfer.

The three sections examine several key features of social assistance programs and how they vary across the country.

The first section, Eligibility for social assistance: Assets and income, looks at the “needs test,” which is the primary determinant of eligibility for benefits. Each jurisdiction imposes asset and income limits beyond which a household is not eligible for benefits, as well as exemptions to these limits. This section provides a brief overview of how the needs test works for assets and two types of income, and enumerates the allowed limits or exemptions for each.

The second section, Indexation of benefits and credits, provides information about whether social assistance benefits in each jurisdiction are indexed to inflation. Information is also included about the indexation of other provincial or territorial benefits and tax credits received by our example households, as well as which jurisdictions have newly indexed benefits or credits in this calendar year.

The third section, Cost-of-living and shelter benefits breakdown, outlines the structure of social assistance benefits in each jurisdiction, indicating whether basic cost-of-living benefits and shelter benefits are accounted for and delivered separately or together in one benefit amount. Basic cost-of-living benefits are those that are intended to pay for items like food and clothing, and shelter benefits are those intended to pay for items like rent and utilities. Details about the other benefits received by our example households are included in the footnotes.