Economy hits poor hardest
By IRWIN LOY, 24 HOURS
December 11, 2008

Welfare income in Canada has been "woefully inadequate," according to a new report from a federal advisory board that warns of the effects a deteriorating economy will have on people living in poverty.

"Welfare recipients are among the poorest of the poor and have to subsist on incomes far below what most people would consider reasonable," according to a report by the National Council of Welfare, which has been tracking provincial welfare rates since 1986….

For veteran anti-poverty advocate Jean Swanson, the report is just one of many that detail the effects of social assistance policies.

"All these reports come out and the government just ignores them," Swanson said.