Human rights lawyer blasts N.S. government's efforts on poverty reduction

A prominent Nova Scotia lawyer says it is a "borderline human rights violation" that the provincial government is not doing more to lift income assistance recipients out of poverty.

Vince Calderhead made the comments during an appearance this week before the Nova Scotia Legislature's committee on public bills, where he focused on the provincial budget. Income assistance rates are now indexed to the rate of inflation following a change last year by the Progressive Conservatives, but Calderhead noted that there is otherwise no meaningful increase to the rates.

"[Income assistance recipients'] overall meaningful real standard of living has not increased by a penny," he told MLAs.

Calderhead prepares an annual budget note outlining how much people on income assistance receive and how close they are to the poverty line. Among other things, his presentation showed the following:

• A single adult without a disability who owns or rents receives a total of $9,816 a year. The poverty line in Halifax for this category is $28,720.

• A single adult with a disability who owns or rents receives a total of $17,053.32 a year. The poverty line in Halifax for this category, which is the largest group of recipients in the province, is $28,720.

• A single parent with a two-year-old child who owns or rents receives $22,934.88 per year. The poverty line in Halifax for this category is $40,207.

• A couple with two children ages 10 and 15 receives $35,662.80 per year. The poverty line in Halifax for this category is $57,439.

Since forming government in 2021, the Progressive Conservatives did not increase income assistance rates before answering the long-standing call to index them annually to the rate of inflation in 2024. 

There were several one-time increases last year, including to help families with the cost of school supplies and to acknowledge cost-of-living pressures.

'It's simply scandalous'

But Calderhead said none of that comes close to making a meaningful difference for the people in the province who struggle the most. Calderhead is a human rights lawyer who spent more than 30 years at Nova Scotia Legal Aid working on income support and poverty-related issues.  

He noted that the poverty reduction tax credit has not increased in seven years and the affordable living tax credit has remained the same since 2011. Inflation has eroded the value of the latter by 36 per cent, said Calderhead.

"It's simply scandalous that a measure intended to assist low-income families has not been increased."

Opportunities and Social Development Minister Scott Armstrong told reporters on Tuesday that he has meetings planned with department employees and partners around the province after the current legislature session wraps up. He expects income assistance rates to be a topic of conversation.

But he also said the indexing of the rates in the current budget is notable.

"That's a big increase," said Armstrong.

Calderhead's submission shows that, depending on the category an income assistance recipient falls into, indexation is worth an extra $21.47 to $44.64 a month.

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said current income assistance rates are "another failure for the most marginalized Nova Scotians."

Chender said indexation alone "does not come close to touching the increases in the cost of living" people are experiencing.

Interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette said there needs to be more support for the most vulnerable people in the province.

He was part of a former Liberal government that increased rates by $100 a month in 2021, although the party did not index rates while it was in power.

"We all know cost of living is a big issue and continues to be for many Nova Scotians so, you know, ideally we would like to see that increased," Mombourquette told reporters.

Trying to get more people working

Armstrong said his goal is to have fewer people on income assistance. He wants to ensure that people who can work receive the support they need to return to the workforce.

"This is something I think that's our responsibility, my responsibility particularly as minister," he said.

"A lot it has to do with training, connection and confidence to get that job and that's where I see this going."

Calderhead called on the government to increase the poverty reduction tax credit and affordable living tax credit and index both to inflation moving forward. He also wants a pilot project on guaranteed basic income. 

"Any extra dollar you spend lifting people out of poverty, you save three, four, five, six dollars in health-care costs, education costs and justice system costs," he said.