Quebec Minister Chantal Rouleau believes Quebecers on social assistance will receive better support starting this year. Rouleau said she is committed to reopening the law this fall and developing an action plan by the end of 2023.
In office for six months, the Minister of Social Solidarity and Community Action said she is preparing a major reform of social assistance that will result from consultations she has already undertaken throughout Quebec.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, she said that the law on social assistance must be modernized in order to adapt it to the new reality of 2023 by being "less punitive and more supportive."
Rouleau gave a concrete example: a person on social assistance currently receives $770 per month and is only allowed to earn $200 more, which is equivalent to working at most three hours per week.
This falls into the category of "punitive" because, after $200, the person is "penalized," which is hardly an "incentive to go to work, to engage," she said.
"This person says, 'OK, I can work three hours a week, but for what? Is it going to be $500, a percentage, or a number of hours? I don't know," said the MNA for Pointe-aux-Trembles in Montreal. "One thing is certain, the picture has changed in Quebec over the past 20 years."
The percentage of claimants has gone from about 10.12 per cent in 2003 to 4.8 per cent this year.
Rouleau wonders how to match the 270,000 people and the job market, which is suffering a major labour shortage in Quebec.
"These are people who are far from the labour market, who may have severe permanent or temporary employment constraints, people who do not have much education, who may be of a certain age," she said. "The literature says that it is employment that is the most rewarding solution for each human being. It is through employment that one improves one's living conditions."
She also wants to double the number of people participating in the Employment Objective Programme. In this spirit, she does not intend to jettison the Liberal reform of 2016, although all its components will be examined.
In 2016, the Couillard government passed Bill 70, which allows for benefits to be cut off for new claimants deemed employable who refuse to start a job search.
This same government also introduced a basic income program, which came into effect in January of this year, and which is generally appreciated.
Rouleau agrees that there should be conditions attached to social assistance, a "last resort" assistance that will continue to be indexed, not a wage, she said.
"There may be cuts because people don't respect the conditions. We'll help you, but everyone has to do their bit. If you break the conditions, well, there may be penalties," she said.
However, she insists that her reform will aim to provide better support for people on social assistance by focusing on consensual measures, notably the reduction of bureaucracy.
"There are 1,000 forms," she said. "The problem is that claimants can sometimes tick the wrong box, and that will have consequences."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 29, 2023.
