Welfare incomes remain deeply inadequate across Canada: Latest Welfare in Canada report
Maytree’s latest edition of Welfare in Canada highlights the persistent inadequacy of welfare incomes across Canada, revealing that nearly all household types tracked continue to live in poverty, with most experiencing deep poverty.
Despite modest increases in welfare income in most provinces and territories, these gains have largely failed to keep pace with inflation or provide households with incomes that meet basic living standards.
The report finds that the incomes of 98 per cent of provincial and territorial household types it tracked remained below Canada’s Official Poverty Line in 2024. Alarmingly, 73 per cent of these households were living in deep poverty, defined as having incomes below 75 per cent of the poverty threshold.
“The incomes that people across Canada are forced to rely on when they get social assistance are not merely insufficient – they represent a systemic failure to uphold the human right to an adequate standard of living,” says Jennefer Laidley, lead author and researcher at Maytree. “It’s not just that people receiving social assistance are poor, it’s that they’re profoundly poor.”
Key findings from the report include:
- Persistent poverty: 55 out of 56 example households across Canada remained below the Official Poverty Line.
- Inadequate increases: While 59 per cent of households saw welfare incomes rise above inflation, most increases ranged from 2.5 per cent to 11.4 per cent, still leaving families well below the poverty line. Meanwhile, 14 per cent of households saw actual declines in income.
- Geographic disparities: Welfare income adequacy varied dramatically by region, with some households in Alberta, Ontario, and Nova Scotia among the least adequately supported.
- Housing insecurity: Most unhoused individuals lacked access to essential shelter-related benefits, significantly reducing their income and pushing them deeper into poverty.
- Some progress made: While persistent poverty continues to be the norm, some jurisdictions have made some gains. Three example households in two provinces saw increases over 20 per cent between 2023 and 2024. Three provinces introduced new sources of income for low-income residents. Households in two provinces have seen significant improvements in income adequacy over time.
“We saw some progress in 2024, but the mostly small increases to welfare incomes aren’t meaningful when so many people continue to live without dignity or basic security,” Laidley adds. “It’s crucial that governments work together to address the structural inadequacies of welfare systems to end the cycle of poverty and uphold human dignity.”
Maytree is calling on policymakers, advocates, and researchers to use the data in this report to advocate for systemic change.