By Éric Gagnon Poulin, Laval University

In Quebec, 842,000 individuals live below the low-income threshold, i.e. 10.7% of the population (CEPE 2013). In 2002, the National Assembly of Quebec unanimously adopted the Act to combat poverty and social exclusion (L.R.Q., 112). Since then, the poverty-fighting measures implemented by the State have focused on the employability of people deemed "fit for work." This orientation, linked to our political economy, tends to cement the categories of welfare recipients—people with "severe constraints," "temporary constraints," and "fit for work"—and to place the burden of responsibility on individuals, without taking into account the structural mechanisms that lead some people into poverty and keep them there.

Focusing on the text may seem superficial when trying to grasp the phenomenon of poverty. However, once deconstructed, it reveals the power relations within the social hierarchy. « Discourse is not the expression of thought; it is a practice, with conditions, rules, and historical transformations » (Escobar, 1995 : 226). Moreover, through repeated appearances in the public sphere, discourse creates reality. In Quebec, it is the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity (MTESS)[1], the main body representing the State’s position on issues of poverty and social exclusion[2]. Its mission is to contribute “[…] to Quebec’s economic prosperity and to social development” (MTESS, 2015). The composition of the ministry’s name—“Labour,” “Employment” and “Social Solidarity”—and the fact of joining “social development” to “economic prosperity” in the statement of its mission imply that one does not go without the other. The MTESS is clear on this point throughout its publications: social solidarity is achieved through employability.

Take for example the Strategic Action Plan 2011-2014 (MESS, 2011) summarizing the ministry’s main orientations. The 42-page document begins with an economic context in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis and its impact on the labour market. To maintain Quebec’s prosperity and citizens’ standard of living, the MESS argues that “[…] it is important to increase the employment rate and productivity” (MESS, 2011: 6). Then the fight against poverty is addressed directly by recalling the objective of Law 112 for the elimination of poverty (treated later), overseen by the MESS, namely: “[…] to gradually bring Quebec among the industrialized nations with the fewest people living in poverty […]” (MESS, 2011: 8). According to these indicators, there was a decrease in the number of people below the low-income threshold from 2000 to 2007, followed by an increase starting in 2008.

In 2002, the government of Quebec enacted Law 112: Act to combat poverty and social exclusion. It stipulates that, according to the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, every human being has the right to live in respect and dignity and that “[…] poverty and social exclusion can constitute constraints on the protection and respect of that human dignity” (L.112: 5). A first Government action plan to combat poverty and social exclusion was revealed in 2004, with a budget of 2.5 billion dollars over five years (later revised to $4.5B over six years). In his introduction, the MESS minister, Claude Béchard, recalls that the government is committed to achieving the objectives of the Law. He states that the plan is based on two principles: 1) “[…] employment is the primary solution to ensure people’s economic security and social inclusion […]”; 2) “[…] increased protection for people who have severe barriers to employment” (MESS, 2004: 8). The first principle assumes that full employment would lead to a fairer and more inclusive society; while the second suggests a meritocratic classification of social assistance recipients based on workfare (discussed later).

At the time of the review, the MESS minister, then Sam Hamad, argues that “[…] employment remains one of the most effective ways to fight poverty […]” (MESS, 2009: 7). The report notably highlights the rise in the minimum wage from $9 to $9.50 as a concrete action against poverty, which, according to this review, “[…] generally allows households to obtain an income sufficient to cover their basic needs. Indeed, households whose income stems from full-time employment paid at the minimum wage rate and working all year generally have disposable incomes higher than the thresholds of the Market Basket Measure” (MESS, 2009: 11). The main problem is that minimum-wage jobs are very often the most precarious and part-time jobs, which the MESS acknowledges a few lines later. “On average, people paid at the general minimum wage rate or less worked 25 hours per week” (MESS, 2009: 11), so “generally” they do not cover their basic needs according to the MBM; in fact, they are far from it, with an annual salary of $12,350 before tax.

In the second action plan 2010-2015, Prime Minister Jean Charest signs the introductory text. He addresses the theme of wealth redistribution. “In keeping with our values of solidarity and humanism and with the principles of social justice and wealth redistribution that we cherish, Quebec has made choices to ensure the well‑being of its entire population” (MESS, 2009: 5). In practice, social inequalities have only widened since the late 1970s. Even the OECD recognizes that “[…] the gap between the rich and the poor has grown in most countries in recent decades […]” (OECD, 2012: 3). In reality, the Quebec State itself contributed to the increase in social inequalities (figure 1):

Between 1997 and 2011, the average purchasing power of the richest quintile of the population improved by an amount greater than the average income of the poorest quintile. […] Over the same period and according to the same data, the average taxes paid by all households in the richest quintile fell from 26% to 22% of their average total income (Labrie, 2014b :1).

In other words, from 1997 to 2011, it would have been possible to double the income of the poorest quintile, thereby enabling the majority of those people to have an income above the low-income threshold. In a text co-signed by Minister Hamad and Lise Thériault, Minister Responsible for Social Services, it is emphasized that work remains to be done and that “[t]raining and access to employment also remain two essential premises for fighting poverty and social exclusion” (MESS, 2009: 6). The second plan is still ongoing, so no assessment has been made. In the latest report of the Centre for the Study of Poverty and Exclusion[3] (CEPE), the situation remains concerning, particularly for single people.

In 2013, their income amounted to 49% of the threshold established by the MBM; in other words, these people did not receive quite half the income necessary to reach the low-income threshold established by the MBM. The increase in social assistance benefits announced in October 2013 will help correct this situation, but it will still leave the poorest people far from that low-income threshold, in fact further than in 2004 (CEPE, 2013: 2).

This increase was cancelled by the Couillard government in 2014.

In short, on the one hand the State invests a few million dollars annually to fight poverty through its programs; on the other hand it squeezes billions of dollars annually out of public services budgets. The fight against poverty in Quebec and Canada no longer has anything to do with its original universalist model. The current model is rather in the vein of American-style workfare, placing “[…] above all the emphasis on the individual duty of the poor to contribute to society by individually deploying the meritorious behaviours that will constitute them as citizens (Morel, 2002: 10).” So, for the citizen in a situation of poverty deemed "fit for work," some will say that they only have to go to work to get by.

Notes

[1] The Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity (MESS) became the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity (MTESS) in February 2015 (Decree 143-2015). I will therefore use the acronym “MESS” for publications prior to February 2015.

[2] In its efforts to fight poverty the MTESS collaborates with the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Research, the Ministry of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion, the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Export, the Quebec Pension Plan Board, Revenu Québec, the Director of Civil Status of Quebec, the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail, the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec, the Advisory Committee on the Fight Against Poverty and Social Exclusion, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (MTESS, 2015).

[3] The Centre for the Study of Poverty and Exclusion (CEPE) is a place of observation, research and exchange aimed at providing reliable and rigorous information on poverty and social exclusion. It was set up in the spring of 2005 in the spirit of the Act to combat poverty and social exclusion and attached to the Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity (CEPE, 2014).

Bibliography

CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF POVERTY AND EXCLUSION (CEPE), 2009, Measuring Poverty: Proposal of Indicators of Poverty, Inequality and Social Exclusion in Order to Measure Progress Made in Quebec. Quebec, Government of Quebec.

ESCOBAR, Arturo, 1995, Encountering Development: The Making and Unmaking of the Third World. Princeton University Press.

LABRIE, Vivian, 2014, The Market Basket Measure and Low-Income Thresholds. Quebec: Collectif pour un Québec sans pauvreté.

LABRIE, Vivian, 2014b, A balanced taxation takes into account human deficits. Presentation to the Commission on Quebec Taxation, Montreal, October 21, 2014.

MINISTRY OF LABOUR, EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL SOLIDARITY (MTESS), 2015, Mission. Consulted on the Internet (http://www.mess.gouv.qc.ca/ministere/mission.asp), July 2015.

MINISTRY OF EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL SOLIDARITY (MESS), 2011, Strategic Action Plan 2011-2014. Government of Quebec.

MINISTRY OF EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL SOLIDARITY (MESS), 2009, Government Action Plan to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion 2004-2009. Government of Quebec.

MINISTRY OF EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL SOLIDARITY (MESS), 2004, Government Action Plan to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion. Government of Quebec.

ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD), 2012, Ever More Inequality: Why Income Gaps Are Widening. OECD Publishing.