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Social assistance
A cross-Canada look at welfare rates
Last Updated: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 | 4:47 PM ET
CBC News
Incomes for most Canadians on welfare in 2007 fell well short of the poverty line, says a report released Wednesday by a government advisory panel.
"Welfare recipients are among the poorest of the poor and have to subsist on incomes far below what most people would consider reasonable," says the report by the National Council of Welfare.
Only in a very few instances, such as a single parent with a preschool child in Quebec, do welfare incomes meet the Market Basket Measure, the panel's poverty line measurement that takes into account the cost of meeting basic needs in different parts of Canada.
For 2007, the lowest Market Basket Measure for a single person — $13,888 — was recorded in Quebec, while the highest — $16,456 — was in Ontario. For a couple with two children, the figure ranged from $26,375 to $32,912.
"That's not a lot of money; most of us live well above that," council chairman John Rook told the Canadian Press.
Here's a look at some welfare incomes and Market Basket Measures across Canada.
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