Strong and adequate income security programs are critical towards ensuring that everyone in Canada can realize their human right to an adequate standard of living. About 2.8 million people across Canada live in poverty, unable to afford the basic necessities people need to live a life with dignity. Canada’s income security systems are rooted in dated ideas about the labour market, the cost of living, and who is deserving of support.
Our work on income security includes mapping current income security programs that are intended to promote opportunity and provide a social safety net, and understanding where those systems are working well, where they are under pressure, and how we can strengthen them so that everyone in Canada can realize their human right to an adequate standard of living. We use research to identify policy solutions and convene conversations to improve our social safety net.
Featured income security publications
From screening out to welcoming in: Promoting access to federal disability benefits
The federal Disability Tax Credit was never designed to be the gateway to 17 federal disability programs – but that is what it has become. And for most people with disabilities, that gateway is nearly impossible to navigate.
Making every public dollar count: Bringing the Marginal Value of Public Funds to Canada
By putting the value of a program alongside its cost, the Marginal Value of Public Funds gives governments a stronger basis for spending decisions – and gives advocates a more rigorous way to defend the programs they know are making a difference in people’s lives.
Welfare in Canada, 2025: A crisis of inadequacy
This year’s data shows a concerning trend where modest policy improvements were often negated by the loss of government transfers and rising costs.
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Welfare in Canada, 2025: A crisis of inadequacy
From screening out to welcoming in: Promoting access to federal disability benefits
