New Brunswick Budget 2024 should improve income supports to reduce poverty
Maytree’s written submission to the New Brunswick government’s Budget 2024 consultations calls for increasing and improving welfare incomes. This will reduce the depth of poverty and ensure all New Brunswickers can live a life of dignity.
In the past three years, New Brunswickers have experienced high inflation, a steep increase in housing costs, and, in general, decreasing standards of living. This is especially the case for the most marginalized New Brunswickers who have the lowest welfare incomes in Canada.
Maytree’s Welfare in Canada and Social Assistance Summaries reports show the state of poverty in New Brunswick is getting worse. Nearly 28,000 New Brunswickers live in deep poverty and welfare incomes are well below the poverty line. Urgent action is needed to realize the right to an adequate standard living for all New Brunswickers.
Maytree recommends that the New Brunswick government:
- Increase benefit amounts for people receiving the Transitional Assistance Program (TAP) and the Extended Benefits Program (EBP).
- Increase the base earned income exemption for social assistance recipients.
- Commit to fully exempting the forthcoming Canada Disability Benefit for all social assistance recipients.
- Augment part of the Canada Workers Benefit into the proposed Canada Working-Age Supplement.