Components of welfare incomes
In Quebec, households that qualify for basic social assistance payments also qualify for:
- Recurring additional social assistance payments from the province,
- Federal and provincial child benefits for households with children, and
- Federal and provincial tax credits and/or benefits.
Together, these components form a household’s total welfare income. Households may receive less if they have income from other sources, or more if they have special health- or disability-related needs.
In 2023, all example households in Quebec received additional payments from the federal government related to the increased cost of living due to high inflation. These payments are included where applicable in the table below.
Although in past reports we have analyzed the incomes of four households in Quebec, starting this year we analyze the incomes of six households (note that we will be revising Welfare in Canada, 2022 to reflect the households examined in this report.) This is due to important provincial policy changes in Quebec that have changed the way that the Social Assistance program works for new entrants. (Our methodology requires us to look at the situation of those who are newly enrolled in social assistance programs starting January 1 of the calendar year in question. See the methodology section for more information.)
Starting in 2018, new entrants into the Social Assistance program in Quebec were required to participate in the Aim for Employment program, which is intended to help recipients “enter the labour market and become financially self-sufficient” by providing a variety of training opportunities and other supports (see program description). The program is made up of several streams, each of which provides a different level of benefits depending on the work-related activity that is undertaken. As of the 2019 report, the unattached single considered employable and couple with two children households were assumed to be receiving Aim for Employment benefits instead of Social Assistance program benefits.
Starting in July 2022, the provincial government introduced a major policy change intended to further incentivize work-related activity by allowing Aim for Employment program recipients to receive the benefits offered to other Quebecers receiving training and employment supports through the Allocation d’aide de l’emploi (Manpower Training) measure, as one of the streams in the program. These benefits resulted in significantly higher total welfare incomes than are offered through other program streams. Note that households receiving Manpower Training benefits are ineligible for regular monthly Aim for Employment benefits, although they stay on the program’s caseload and are eligible for in-kind services.
To illustrate the variety of incomes available to new entrants in the Aim for Employment program, we have chosen to include two additional example households. For both the unattached single considered employable and the couple with two children, we have included households that reflect a typical “lowest” benefit amount and “highest” benefit amount, depending on their Aim for Employment program stream and, for the couple with two children, the number of adults engaged in employment-related activities.
Throughout this section, the designation “(AIM)” represents a household receiving a basic benefit that is equivalent to the regular Social Assistance program allowance plus a participation allowance for intensive employment search or development of social skills, which constitutes the lowest amount from the Aim for Employment program. (Note that while these benefits are representative of a typical “lowest” benefit amount, some recipients may receive lower amounts based on their particular circumstances.) The designation “(MAN)” represents a household receiving the Manpower Training measure benefit for qualifying training in the skills development component, which is the highest amount available through the Aim for Employment program.
Note that recipients can only participate in the Aim for Employment program for 12 months, with a possible extension to 24 months. Following this period, households are eligible to receive the Social Assistance program monthly benefit amounts instead; in 2023, these were $770 per month for the unattached single considered employable ($725 in the basic benefit plus $45 for the monthly adjustment) and $1,167 per month for the couple with two children ($1,122 in the basic benefit plus $45 for the monthly adjustment), plus any additional allowances.
Also note that the Government Action Plan for Economic Inclusion and Social Participation 2017–2023 introduced a Basic Income Program in Quebec for people with severe employment constraints. Program implementation began January 1, 2019, and was fully phased in as of January 2023. Social Solidarity Program recipients who have been in the program for at least 66 of the past 72 months become eligible for a new “Basic Income Program” benefit. Given that our methodology requires us to look at the situation of those who are newly enrolled in social assistance programs starting January 1 of the calendar year in question, we do not calculate total welfare incomes for the unattached single with a disability households receiving benefits through the Basic Income Program. (Note: As of January 1, 2023, the amount of the Basic Income Program benefit was $1,548 per month for unattached singles ($1,211 in basic benefits plus $337 for the singles adjustment).)
Table 1QC shows the value of the welfare income components of the six example household types in Quebec in 2023. All six households are assumed to be living in Montreal, receiving provincial social assistance starting January 1 and for the entire year, and earning no employment income. The child in the single-parent household is two years old and the children in the couple households are ten and 15. Other assumptions for calculating incomes are in the methodology section.
Table 1QC: Components of welfare incomes for all example households in Quebec, 2023
Total annual welfare incomes in 2023 ranged from $14,484 for the unattached single considered employable (AIM) to $47,794 for the couple with two children (MAN). The unattached single with a disability received $16,117, the unattached single considered employable (MAN) received $26,368, the single parent with one child received $26,476, and the couple with two children (AIM) received $44,680.
Basic social assistance: The unattached single considered employable (AIM), the single parent with one child, and the couple with two children (AIM) received the basic Aim for Employment monthly allowance from Social Assistance in the amounts of $725, $725, and $1,122 respectively. These allowances increase with inflation in January of each year. They also all received the Monthly Adjustment amount of $45 per month, which remained unchanged in 2023. All three households also received an allowance relating to their work-related activity, which increased with inflation in 2023: The unattached single considered employable (AIM) and the couple with two children (AIM) received a Participation Allowance for an “intensive employment search” or the “development of social skills” of $70 per week for each adult in the household, which represents the lowest Participation Allowance amount available through the Aim for Employment program. The single parent with one child received a Temporarily Limited Capacity allowance of $153 per month. Note that although the single parent is required to take part in the Aim for Employment program, we include the Temporarily Limited Capacity allowance in our calculations, rather than an allowance related to participation in work-related activities, due to the young age of their child.
The unattached single with a disability received benefits from the Social Solidarity program, which included an allowance of $1,102 per month and a Monthly Adjustment amount of $103 per month. Social Solidarity benefits increase with inflation in January every year, while the Monthly Adjustment amount remained unchanged in 2023.
The unattached single considered employable (MAN) and the couple with two children (MAN) received the Manpower Training measure benefit under the Aim for Employment program. Our calculations reflect the maximum available benefit amount of $475 per week for an adult, which applies to those people in the Skills Development Component who undertake qualifying training activities. In the case of the couple with two children, our calculations reflect only one adult receiving the maximum Manpower Training benefit.
Additional social assistance: In addition to basic assistance, all three households with children received $170 per month from the Shelter Allowance administered through Revenu Québec. The couple with two children (AIM) also received the annual School-Related Allowance of $76 for the ten-year-old and $123 for the 15-year-old. The amounts of both allowances remained unchanged in 2023.
Federal child benefits: All households with children received the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), which increased with inflation in July 2023 from $583.08 to $619.75 per month for a child under six years of age and from $491.91 to $522.91 per month for a child aged six to 17.
Provincial child benefits: All three households with children received the Family Allowance, which increases with inflation each January and, for 2023, was $2,782 for one child and $5,564 for two children. The single parent with one child received the Family Allowance Single Parent Supplement of $976. The two couple with two children households also received the School Supply Supplement, which increased from $108 to $115 per child aged four to 16 as of January 2023.
Federal tax credits/benefits: All six households received the GST/HST credit, which increased in July 2023 with inflation. All three unattached single households received $315.50 in basic GST/HST credit, the single parent with one child received $631, and both couple with two children households received $963.
Four households also received the GST/HST credit supplement. The unattached single considered employable (AIM) received $29.85, the unattached single considered employable (MAN) received $94.10, the unattached single with a disability received $65.25, and the single parent with one child received the maximum amount of $166.
All six households also received the Grocery Rebate, which was an additional one-time GST credit payment related to the increased cost of living due to high inflation, paid in July 2023. Both unattached single considered employable households received $169.97, the unattached single with a disability received $187.13, the single parent with one child received $386.50, and both couple with two children households received $467.
Provincial tax credits/benefits: All six households received the Social Solidarity Tax Credit, which increased with inflation in July 2023 from $87.92 to $93.58 per month for the unattached single households, from $98.58 to $101.67 for the single parent with one child, and from $133.42 to $142 for the couple with two children households.
The provincial Special One-Time Cost of Living Tax Credit of $500 per adult and the Refundable Cost of Living Tax Credit of $600 per individual, provided as responses to high inflation in 2022, were not available in 2023.
Cost-of-living payments
As mentioned earlier, all six households received payments from the federal government related to the increased cost of living resulting from high inflation in 2023. The federal Grocery Rebate was paid in July 2023 and was equivalent to the two regular GST credit (and credit supplement if applicable) payments received in the first half of 2023. These amounts are included in, and are not in addition to, the benefits described in the Components section above.
Table 2QC: Cost-of-living payments for all example households in Quebec, 2023
Changes to welfare incomes
Figures 1QC, 2QC, 3QC, and 4QC show how the total welfare incomes of the example households in Quebec have changed over time.
Note that the values are in 2023 constant dollars, not current dollars, calculated using the Canada CPI. Using constant dollars takes into account the effect of inflation given that inflation reduces current dollar values over time. Also note that using the CPI for Quebec would result in a slightly different trendline.
Figure 1QC: Welfare incomes for example unattached single households in Quebec 1986–2023, in 2023 constant dollars
Figure 1QC shows three trendlines: the unattached single considered employable until 2018, the unattached single considered employable (AIM) starting in 2019, and the unattached single considered employable (MAN) starting in 2022.
After increases in the late 1980s and early 1990s and a slight decline from 1993 to 1998, the total welfare income of the unattached single considered employable was relatively stable until 2011. A slight increase in 2012 was followed by another period of stasis until 2018. In 2019, the provincial government instituted the mandatory Aim for Employment program for new recipients of Social Assistance. Given that our households are assumed to be new entrants in each calendar year, the new program has resulted in a substantial income increase in our year-over-year analysis between 2018 and 2019, primarily due to the program’s higher work-related allowances. In 2020, the income of this household increased due to additional COVID-related benefits provided by both levels of government. The decline in 2021 was due to the loss of those benefits.
In July 2022, the provincial government instituted another major policy change that allowed Aim for Employment recipients to receive Quebec’s Manpower Training measure benefit. As such, starting in 2022, two additional households are included in our analysis — one receiving regular Aim for Employment benefits (the AIM household) and the other receiving the highest possible Manpower Training benefits (the MAN household). The AIM household saw an increase in 2022 due to the new program’s higher work-related allowances as well as inflation-related payments from both the provincial and federal governments; a decline in 2023 followed as a result of losing most inflation-related payments. The MAN household’s income was much higher in 2022 compared to the AIM household due to the significantly higher payments received from Manpower Training as well as inflation-related payments from both the provincial and federal governments; another increase in 2023 was primarily due to receiving these higher payments for the entire calendar year.
In 2023, the total welfare income of the unattached single considered employable (AIM) was $14,484, which is a 4 per cent decrease compared to 2022, a 1 per cent increase since 2019 when Aim for Employment participation was made mandatory, and a 32 per cent increase since 2018 (i.e., their total income prior to Aim for Employment) in constant 2023 dollars. The total welfare income of the unattached single considered employable (MAN) was $26,368, which is a 21 per cent increase compared to 2022 (when Manpower Training benefits were made available) and a 140 per cent increase since 2018 (i.e., their income prior to Aim for Employment) in constant 2023 dollars.
Figure 2QC: Welfare incomes for example households with children in Quebec 1986–2023, in 2023 constant dollars
The welfare income of the unattached single with a disability increased from the start of the time series until 1994, remained relatively stable until 2011, increased in 2012, then declined slightly until 2017. Their income increased again in 2018 and 2019, largely due to enhancements in basic Social Assistance benefits. Another increase in 2020 was largely the result of COVID-19 pandemic-related payments. The decline in 2021 was primarily due to the loss of pandemic-related payments and the effects of high inflation. The increase in 2022 was due to inflation-related one-time payments from both the provincial and federal governments and the decline in 2023 was because of the loss of those payments.
In 2023, the total welfare income of the unattached single with a disability was $16,117, which is a decrease of 5 per cent compared to 2022 and an increase of 20 per cent since the start of the time series in constant 2023 dollars.
Figure 3QC: Welfare incomes for the example single parent with one child in Quebec 1986–2023, in 2023 constant dollars
The total welfare income of the single parent with one child fluctuated in the late 1980s and early 1990s, increased from 1991 to 1994, decreased in 2000, then plateaued through to 2004. Increases through to 2006 were followed by a period of relative stasis until 2011 and a generally increasing trend through to 2019. Increases between 2015 and 2017 were primarily the result of changes to federal child benefits. Their income peaked in 2020, then declined again through to 2023. The 2020 increase was primarily due to COVID-19 pandemic-related payments, while the 2021 decline was largely due to the loss of those payments. The 2022 decline was primarily due to very high national inflation despite additional inflation-related payments, while the 2023 decline was due to the loss of those payments.
In 2023, the total welfare income of the single parent with one child was $26,476, which is a 1 per cent decline compared to 2022 and a 21 per cent increase since the start of the time series, in constant 2023 dollars.
Figure 4QC: Welfare incomes for example couples with two children households in Quebec 1986–2023, in 2023 constant dollars
Figure 4QC shows three trendlines: the couple with two children until 2018, the couple with two children (AIM) starting in 2019, and the couple with two children (MAN) starting in 2022. After increases in the early 1990s, the total welfare income of the couple with two children saw decreases from 1993 to 1997, relative stasis through to 2004, a slight increase in 2005, and another period of stasis through to 2011. Thereafter, their income increased through to 2018, caused primarily by the result of changes to federal child benefits. In 2019, the new and mandatory Aim for Employment program for new recipients of Social Assistance was instituted. Given that our example households are assumed to be new entrants in each calendar year, the new program has resulted in a substantial income increase in our year-over-year analysis between 2018 and 2019, primarily due to the program’s associated much higher work-related allowances. In 2020, the income of this household increased due to additional COVID-related benefits provided by both levels of government. The decline in 2021 was due to the loss of those benefits.
In July 2022, another major policy change was instituted that allowed Aim for Employment recipients to receive benefits through Quebec’s Manpower Training measure. As such, starting in 2022, two households are included in our analysis — one receiving regular Aim for Employment benefits and the associated work-related allowances for both adults (the AIM household) and the other receiving the highest possible Manpower Training benefits for one adult (the MAN household). The AIM household saw an increase in 2022 due to the new program’s higher work-related allowances as well as inflation-related payments from both the provincial and federal governments, but a slight decline in 2023 due to the loss of most of the inflation-related payments. The MAN household’s income was much higher than that of the AIM household in 2022 due to the significantly higher payments received from Manpower Training as well as inflation-related payments from both the provincial and federal governments; another slight increase in 2023 was primarily due to receiving these higher payments for the entire calendar year.
In 2023, the total welfare income of the couple with two children (AIM) was $44,680, which is a 1 per cent decrease compared to 2022, a 25 per cent increase since 2018 (i.e., their income prior to Aim for Employment), and a 3 per cent increase since Aim for Employment participation was made mandatory in 2019, in constant 2023 dollars. The total welfare income of the couple with two children (MAN) was $47,794, which is a 0.4 per cent increase compared to 2022, when Manpower Training benefits were first made available, and a 33 per cent increase since 2018 (i.e., their income prior to Aim for Employment, in constant 2023 dollars.
See the Components of welfare incomes section for more information about the policy changes described above.
Adequacy of welfare incomes
The adequacy of a household’s total welfare income can be assessed by comparing it to established thresholds of poverty and/or low income.
Two measures of poverty are commonly used in Canada:
- The Market Basket Measure (MBM), Canada’s Official Poverty Line, identifies households whose disposable income is less than the cost of a “basket” of goods and services that represents a basic standard of living.
- The Deep Income Poverty (MBM-DIP) threshold identifies households whose disposable income is less than 75 per cent of the MBM.
Two measures of low income are also commonly used:
- The Low Income Measure (LIM) identifies households whose income is substantially below what is typical in society (i.e., less than half of the median income).
- The Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) identifies households that are likely to spend a disproportionately large share of their income on food, clothing, and shelter.
Note that MBM thresholds vary by province and community size, and LICO thresholds vary by community size. As such, we use the thresholds for the province’s largest city, Montreal, in the analysis below. Note also that we use after-tax LIM and LICO thresholds, and that the LIM thresholds for 2023 are estimates based on increasing the 2022 thresholds to account for inflation.
Also note that none of the poverty or low-income measures currently in use in Canada accounts for the higher cost of living faced by people with disabilities, and that these additional costs are not reflected in our analysis.
More information about the thresholds is available in the methodology section.
A table containing comparisons of the welfare incomes of the six example household types in Quebec with all four poverty/low-income thresholds is available for download.
Poverty threshold comparisons
The welfare incomes of five of the six example household types in Quebec were below Canada’s Official Poverty Line in 2023, and two were also below the MBM-DIP. This means that five of the six households were living in poverty and two were also living in deep poverty in 2023.
Figures 5QC and 6QC compare 2023 welfare incomes for the six example household types to the 2023 MBM and MBM-DIP thresholds for Montreal.
Figure 5QC: Welfare incomes and poverty thresholds for example unattached single households in Quebec, 2023
The unattached single considered employable (AIM) had the least adequate income relative to the poverty thresholds. Their income was $3,675 below the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $9,728 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 80 per cent of the MBM-DIP and 60 per cent of the MBM.
The unattached single considered employable (MAN) had the most adequate income relative to the poverty thresholds. Their income was $8,210 above the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $2,157 above the Poverty Line. This means their income was 145 per cent of the MBM-DIP and 109 per cent of the MBM.
The unattached single with a disability had an income that was $2,042 below the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $8,095 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 89 per cent of the MBM-DIP and 67 per cent of the MBM.
Note that the poverty experienced by people with disabilities is underrepresented because neither the MBM nor the MBM-DIP account for the additional costs associated with disability. See the methodology section for more information.
Figure 6QC: Welfare incomes and poverty thresholds for example households with children in Quebec, 2023
The single parent with one child had a welfare income that was $796 above the Deep Income Poverty threshold but $7,765 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 103 per cent of the MBM-DIP but 77 per cent of the MBM.
The couple with two children (AIM) had a welfare income that was $8,363 above the Deep Income Poverty threshold but $3,743 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 123 per cent of the MBM-DIP but 92 per cent of the MBM.
The couple with two children (MAN) had an income that was $11,477 above the Deep Income Poverty threshold but $629 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 132 per cent of MBM-DIP but 99 per cent of the MBM.
Low-income threshold comparisons
The welfare incomes of the example households were below or at the low-income thresholds, as shown in the table linked above.
The lowest income relative to these thresholds was that of the unattached single considered employable (AIM), whose total welfare income was only 48 per cent of the LIM and only 57 per cent of the LICO. The highest was that of the unattached single considered employable (MAN), whose total welfare income was 88 per cent of the LIM and 104 per cent of the LICO.
The unattached single with a disability had a total welfare income that was 54 per cent of the LIM and 64 per cent of the LICO. The single parent with one child had a welfare income of 62 per cent of the LIM and 86 per cent of the LICO.
The couple with two children (AIM) had a total welfare income that was 74 per cent of the LIM and 93 per cent of the LICO. The couple with two children (MAN) had a total welfare income that was 80 per cent of the LIM and 100 per cent of the LICO.
The LIM and LICO thresholds used are for after-tax income, as noted earlier.
Changes to adequacy of welfare incomes
Figures 7QC, 8QC, 9QC, and 10QC show the total welfare incomes of each of the six example households in Quebec as a percentage of the Market Basket Measure (MBM), starting in 2003.
The black line at the top of each graph (i.e., the 100 per cent threshold) represents Canada’s Official Poverty Line. This means that the graphs show how far below the Poverty Line the six households’ total welfare incomes have been in each year over the past 22 years.
The grey line indicates the Deep Income Poverty threshold, which is 75 per cent of the MBM. The graphs therefore also show the relationship between total welfare incomes and deep poverty in each year over the past 22 years.
Three trendlines for each household are shown in the graphs. These lines illustrate the relationship between welfare incomes and changes made to the MBM due to “rebasing.” The two rebasings, occurring in 2008 and 2018, are indicated with a dotted vertical line. Rebasing updates the measure, including the items and costs included in the basket, to better reflect contemporary circumstances and typically creates a higher poverty threshold than that of a previous base. The trendlines demonstrate changes to household poverty levels within the years in which each base is applied. A trendline rise within those periods indicates an improvement in a household’s level of poverty while a decline indicates a deepening of their poverty. For the years in which rebasing took place (2008 and 2018), we include the percentage of welfare income relative to the MBM using both the previous and the new base to show how rebasing affects adequacy.
Note that MBM thresholds vary by province and community size. The MBM thresholds used here are for Montreal. More information is in the methodology section.
Figure 7QC: Welfare incomes as a percentage of the MBM for example unattached single considered employable households in Quebec, 2002–2023
The welfare income of the unattached single considered employable began the time series in 2002 at only 56 per cent of the Poverty Line. Their income declined slightly to 53 per cent in 2007 and declined even further after the 2008 rebasing to 46 per cent of the Poverty Line. Although it increased slightly to 51 per cent in 2017, their income returned to 46 per cent of the poverty line after the 2018 rebasing.
In 2019, the changes for new entrants into Social Assistance described in the Components of welfare income section above resulted in a total welfare income for the unattached single considered employable (AIM) that was 60 per cent of the Poverty Line. Their income then vacillated between 60 and 63 per cent of the Poverty Line, ending the time series in 2023 at 63 per cent.
In 2022, when Manpower Training benefits became available, the total welfare income for the unattached single considered employable (MAN) was 91 per cent of the Poverty Line. Their income increased to 109 per cent in 2023.
Overall, the income of the unattached single considered employable declined by 10 percentage points between the start of the time series and the 2018 rebasing, which represents a significant worsening of their poverty in those years. The policy changes in 2019 and 2022 resulted in much higher total welfare incomes for both the unattached single considered employable (AIM) and the unattached single considered employable (MAN), and therefore much more adequate incomes relative to the Poverty Line. It is important to note that the unattached single considered employable (AIM) would have still been living in deep poverty since the Aim for Employment program was introduced in 2019. Although the unattached single considered employable (MAN) was living in poverty in 2022, their income rose above the Poverty Line in 2023.
Figure 8QC: Welfare incomes as a percentage of the MBM for the example unattached single with a disability in Quebec, 2002–2023
The welfare income of the unattached single with a disability started the time series at 80 per cent of the Poverty Line; it decreased to 78 per cent in 2007 and to 69 per cent after the 2008 rebasing. A general increase through the next decade resulted in their 2017 income being 72 per cent of the Poverty Line, and after the 2018 rebasing their income declined to 68 per cent. Some fluctuation followed, with peaks in 2020 and 2022 at 71 per cent, and a decline that ended the time series in 2023 at 67 per cent.
Overall, the welfare income of the unattached single with a disability was 13 percentage points lower relative to the Poverty Line in 2023 than it was in 2002. This indicates a deepening of their poverty over the time series. As well, their income started the time series above the Deep Income Poverty threshold but fell below it in 2008, meaning that they would have consistently lived in deep poverty for the majority of the time series.
Figure 9QC: Welfare incomes as a percentage of the MBM for the example single parent with one child in Quebec, 2002–2023
The welfare income of the single parent with one child started the time series in 2002 at 82 per cent of the Poverty Line. Their income generally increased relative to the Poverty Line until 2007 but declined after the 2008 rebasing to 79 per cent. This was followed by another general increase to 86 per cent in 2017, and a decline to 77 per cent after the 2018 rebasing. After an increase to 81 per cent in 2020, their income declined to 77 per cent of the Poverty Line in 2023.
Overall, the welfare income of the single parent with one child declined by 5 percentage points relative to the Poverty Line between the start of the time series in 2002 and the end of the time series in 2023. This indicates a slight deepening of their poverty over the last 22 years. It is notable that their income was above the Deep Income Poverty threshold across the entire time series, meaning that although they would have been living in poverty for the last 22 years, they were not living in deep poverty.
Figure 10QC: Welfare incomes as a percentage of the MBM for the example couple with two children households in Quebec, 2002–2023
The welfare income of the couple with two children started the time series at 74 per cent of the Poverty Line, increased to 81 per cent in 2005, and declined slightly to 80 per cent before the 2008 rebasing. After rebasing, their income decreased to 71 per cent of the Poverty Line. A period of relative stasis followed until 2014, after which their income increased to 85 per cent of the poverty line before the 2018 rebasing. After rebasing, their income was 76 per cent of the Poverty Line.
In 2019, the changes for new entrants into Social Assistance described in the Components of welfare income section above resulted in a total welfare income for the couple with two children (AIM) that was 92 per cent of the Poverty Line. Their income then fluctuated, reaching a high of 98 per cent in 2020 and ending the time series in 2023 at 92 per cent.
In 2022, when Manpower Training benefits became available to this household, the total welfare income for the couple with two children (MAN) was 100 per cent of the Poverty Line. Their income decreased slightly to 99 per cent in 2023.
Overall, the income of the couple with two children increased by 2 percentage points between the start of the time series and the 2018 rebasing, which represents a slight lessening of their poverty in those years. The policy changes in 2019 and 2022 resulted in much higher total welfare incomes for both the couple with two children (AIM) and the couple with two children (MAN), and therefore much more adequate incomes relative to the Poverty Line. It is important to note that both couple with two children households would have still been living in poverty since the changes in 2019, although the income of the couple with two children (MAN) did reach the Poverty Line in 2022.
Access to data
The data for Quebec is available for download, including:
- Components of welfare income for all households, with a breakdown of cost of living-related payments.
- Welfare incomes in 2023 constant dollars over time for all households.
- Welfare incomes in current dollars over time for all households.
- Adequacy of welfare incomes: a comparison of each household’s welfare income with all four poverty and low-income thresholds.
- Adequacy over time: each household’s welfare income relative to the Official Poverty Line (MBM) from 2002–2023.