Collective criticizes Quebec anti-poverty action plan

Quebec's 2024-2029 government action plan against poverty provides $750 million over five years, but the Quebec without poverty collective says it's money that should have been directed towards improving the incomes of those affected rather than in "patching up."

The plan, which the community and social services have been waiting on for months, was tabled last Friday and has practically flown under the radar.

The 2024-2029 plan announces the renewal of several existing or previously announced measures, such as affordable housing and support for food banks.

With regard to social assistance, the plan states that by 2029, Quebec intends to offer personalized support to 50,000 recipients in their efforts to integrate into the workforce or some other form of "social participation."

However, for the Collectif pour un Québec sans pauvreté, the anti-poverty plan fails to tackle the root of the problem: insufficient income.

"We need to make the solidarity tax credit more generous, and raise the minimum wage and the incomes of seniors and welfare recipients," said collective spokesperson Serge Petitclerc in an interview on Tuesday.

In unveiling her plan, Social Solidarity and Community Action Minister Chantal Rouleau noted that Quebec had the lowest low-income rate in Canada, at 6.6 per cent, compared with 10.9 per cent in Ontario and 10.9 per cent in New Brunswick, for example.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 25, 2024.