Quebec is “a leader in poverty reduction” in the country, according to Food Banks Canada. The organization looked at various economic and social indices, as well as the policies implemented in each province, to provide a portrait of poverty in Canada. Conclusion: Quebec gets a B+, the best grade in the country, while Canada gets a D+.
“The rates of poverty and food insecurity in Quebec are the lowest in the country,” write the authors of the report published in September. “Even if some people struggle to make ends meet, the province’s social assistance system is much more effective than that of other provinces, and the Quebec population is much more satisfied with its system than the population of other provinces. »
But everything is not perfect, even in Quebec. In fact, a third of Quebecers say they are in worse financial health than last year. In Canada, it’s more than 40%.
One in four Quebecers say they have an inadequate standard of living, and one in ten, “severely inadequate”.
The food insecurity rate stands at nearly 15%, a little lower than the national average. But Quebecers spend more than 12% of their income on food, one of the highest percentages in the country. The price of food has also exploded, with an increase of 9.3% in the last year. Quebec ranks 2e rank in the country for the increases observed.
The authors of the report also note “a surprising gap” between racialized people and the rest of the population. “Low wages have an impact on their ability to make ends meet”, much greater among racialized people than among the rest of the population. They are also twice as likely to say that social assistance benefits are not enough to keep up with the increase in the cost of living and that it is difficult to keep up with rising rents.
“The provincial government will have to take measures to bridge the gap between the experience of racialized groups and that of the rest of the population,” say the authors.
Social policies
If Quebec is doing better than the rest of Canada, it is in particular because of the social policies implemented more than 20 years ago, note the authors of the report. Indeed, Quebec became the first Canadian province to adopt, in 2002, a poverty reduction strategy.
The report welcomes Quebec’s efforts, including the establishment of “affordable and universal childcare services”, “higher benefits indexed to inflation” and “fair income support measures for families”, even as a “fairly significant proportion of the rental market affordable for the lowest income quintile”.
For the authors, it is “imperative” that the Quebec government “continue its efforts with renewed ambition”. They suggest speeding up the construction of low-income housing, providing a permanent food benefit for low-income people and balancing welfare and disability benefits.
“Quebec is ahead of the rest of the country, but it must continue to progress to stay ahead,” they argue.
Building on successes
This is also the observation of Simon Langlois, sociologist and professor emeritus at Laval University. “Faced with the problems that are emerging at the moment – food insecurity, cost of housing – past experience of improvements should encourage political and civil society actors to take example of the successes,” he says.
“Yes, Quebec social policies can and have reduced the incidence of poverty, hence the need to continue and update them through various measures such as the proposed change on social assistance for people with disabilities, which must be harmonized. »
Professor emeritus of political science at the University of Montreal, Gérard Boismenu also maintains that it is no coincidence that Quebec is doing better than the rest of Canada, because the link between public spending and the reduction in poverty is very real.
However, he has a caveat. “Compared to the Canadian provinces, Quebec is in a favorable position, but compared to Western European countries, we are only getting closer to their “performance”. Quebec exceptionalism is located in Canada. More generally, there is no exceptionalism. »
“Disastrous” situation in Canada
Poverty report cards developed by Food Banks Canada “highlight growing problems of food insecurity and gaps at all levels of government,” the report says.
“Today, poverty is a reality for at least 2.8 million Canadians, while even more people live in food insecurity,” write the authors of the report. This dire situation has led to an unprecedented number of visits to food banks. In March 2022, food banks recorded nearly 1.5 million visits. »
“Given this increase, our country needs a collective and concerted effort from all levels of government to ensure not only that we slow the growth of poverty, but to reverse the trend with the goal of ensuring that no one in Canada must turn to food banks to make ends meet,” the authors argue.