By Oumou Diakité
“Surviving poverty is a full-time job.”
This statement by Serge Petitclerc, a member of the Collectif pour un Québec sans pauvreté (the Collective for a Poverty-Free Quebec), bitterly summarizes the paradox faced by thousands of people: juggling employment and social assistance without ever reaching the threshold of “economic dignity.” In a Quebec that values work as a catalyst of inclusion, how can we explain that some workers remain trapped in precariousness?
For Serge Petitclerc, the coexistence of work and social assistance is “very complicated.” The current system is fueled by the fear that individuals will “take advantage of the system.” As a result, any attempt to earn an income from work is quickly penalized.
“Unless you get a full-time job, you quickly lose a large portion of your benefits.” As soon as someone works more than a few hours — often more than three hours a week at minimum wage — they risk significant cuts. Worse still: people without a high school diploma or with non-medical limitations (such as learning disabilities, heavy family responsibilities, or social isolation) are not recognized as unable to work and are therefore not protected by the system.
“It’s as if, because they can theoretically work, they have to. But in reality, the conditions for integration are almost impossible.”
This system discourages rather than encourages, the Collective believes. People who try to get ahead through work find themselves penalized, due to a lack of real support or financial flexibility.
A Breath of Toxic Air
Since its implementation, the basic income program has been perceived as progress. By offering an annual benefit of approximately $20,000 and allowing additional work income without an immediate cut-off, it introduces a bit of oxygen into a suffocating system.
“We welcome this program because it’s more flexible, and finally encourages work.”
But here again, the eligibility requirements significantly limit its impact. To qualify, one must have been on social assistance for five and a half consecutive years and be recognized as having a severe employment barrier.
Serge Petitclerc refers to this as a “purgatory period,” a long and difficult wait during which one must remain without any declared supplemental income to have any hope of accessing the program.
“These are rules that need to be relaxed. We must recognize that contributing to society isn’t just about working 40 hours a week.”
According to Mr. Petitclerc’s sources, Quebec currently has approximately 290,000 adults on social assistance. Some have been stuck there for ten years or more. For the Collective, the term “poverty trap” is anything but abstract: it’s a very real trap, where any attempt at upward mobility seems to be neutralized by a “punitive” system.
“As long as we don’t fundamentally rethink income security, we will continue to keep people in extreme poverty. And that impoverishes the entire society.”
The collective costs are enormous. In 2007-2008, a study estimated poverty-related expenses at $5 to $6 billion: social programs, healthcare, housing support, lost tax revenue… And this figure has only increased since.
Out of Reach
Housing has become the primary point of contention. With a monthly social assistance payment of $879 — sometimes less — and rents often exceeding $950 for a one-and-a-half-room apartment, it becomes mathematically impossible to find housing without going into debt or cutting back on food, transportation, and healthcare.
“Add to that uncovered medical expenses, travel costs… There’s nothing left to live on.”
And what about the regions? Once less affected by the crisis, they are now catching up with urban centers. “We’re just as poor in the city as in the countryside,” says Serge Petitclerc. Food, in particular, costs just as much, if not more, in remote areas. A living wage — the minimum income needed to cover basic needs — is also out of reach there.
Missed Opportunity
In June 2024, an open letter from the Collective posed a simple question: Will we finally get a real plan to fight poverty? Their answer today: no.
The government presented a fourth action plan (after those of 2004, 2010, and 2017), but the Collective considers it the most disappointing to date.
“They weren’t given the resources. The Ministry of Finance stifled ambition.”
The Minister Rresponsible for Social Solidarity and Community Action, Chantal Rouleau, defended a “progressive framework” of measures, but the Collective remains skeptical. Unlike former minister Yves Séguin (2003-2005), whom Mr. Petitclerc considered more sensitive to these issues, the current government seems guided by deficit management rather than social justice.
Rethinking Income
The Collective’s demands are clear: a complete overhaul of income security, ensuring everyone has a sufficient income to meet their basic needs, and breaking down the prejudices that link social assistance to laziness or fraud.
« Many people dream of returning to the workforce. But as long as they aren’t given the opportunity, we’re only slowing society down. »
To escape this trap, perhaps a paradigm shift is needed, such as valuing people before valuing performance. And recognizing, too, that poverty is not a choice, but often the consequence of a system that turns its back on its own principles.
Illustration, top: Iris Dugauquier
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