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Guaranteed Minimum Income

Mandate of the Expert Committee
Members of the Expert Committee
Publications

Economic, social and demographic changes all influence the labour market. In response to these changes and in keeping with the goal of fostering labour market access to the greatest number of persons, the Gouvernement du Québec has decided to begin an assessment of the mechanisms associated with the principles of guaranteed minimum income, which 21st-century Québec society may then draw from.

In order to develop this new model, the Gouvernement du Québec will be examining ways of simplifying, attaining greater transparency in and reducing the administrative load of the various transfers to Québec individuals and families.

The Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity, François Blais, and the Minister of Finance, Carlos Leitᾶo, have formed a committee of experts to carry out an initial assessment.

The purpose of this undertaking is to look into new approaches that could be used to fight poverty more effectively, promote social inclusion and move towards introducing a guaranteed minimum income.

Mandate of the Expert Committee on Guaranteed Minimum Income

The Expert Committee on Guaranteed Minimum Income has been mandated to:

Document and analyze the features and functioning of Québec’s current income-support system
Identify, document and analyze concrete initiatives related to the development of income support (review of international literature)
Provide a diagnosis of the functioning of Québec’s current income-support system
Identify, document and assess options for improving the Québec income-support system
Make recommendations for improving the Québec income-support system with a view to introducing a guaranteed minimum income

In carrying out its mandate, the Committee will take into account the following principles:

Maintaining or increasing the visibility of financial assistance provided by the government
Ensuring or improving the accessibility of financial assistance
Simplifying applications and the administrative process
Facilitating more efficient management of financial assistance
Promoting incentives to work
Ensuring a smooth transition from social assistance to the labour market
Working within the financial capacity of the government

Learn more about the mandate of the Expert Committee on Guaranteed Minimum Income (PDF, 215 KB).

Members of the Expert Committee on Guaranteed Minimum Income

Dorothée Boccanfuso chairs the Expert Committee on Guaranteed Minimum Income. She is assisted by two specialists in the field of public policy on income support.

Dorothée Boccanfuso

Full Professor, Département d’économique, École de gestion, Université de Sherbrooke

Ms. Boccanfuso is a researcher at the Groupe de recherche en économie et développement international (GREDI). She is also a Fellow of the Center for Interuniversity Research and Analysis of Organizations (CIRANO). Her research focuses on in-depth analyses of poverty and inequality, on the contribution of inclusive growth to people’s well-being and, in particular, on impact assessments of economic policies.

Dorothée Boccanfuso - École de gestion, Université de Sherbrooke

Jean-Michel Cousineau

Economist. Full Professor, École des relations industrielles, Université de Montréal

Mr. Cousineau is a specialist in labour economics, econometrics and public policy. He chaired the Public Policies Committee of the Association des économistes québécois for many years, and was a member of the Centre d’étude sur la pauvreté et l’exclusion from 2006 to 2012. His research interests and most recent publications focus on poverty, income inequality, and public policy respecting inclusive growth.

Jean-Michel Cousineau - École de relations industrielles, Université de Montréal

Raquel Fonseca

Associate Professor, Département des sciences économiques, École des sciences de la gestion, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

Ms. Fonseca is a co-holder of the Industrial Alliance Research Chair on the Economics of Demographic Change (CEDIA) and a Fellow of the Center for Interuniversity Research and Analysis of Organizations (CIRANO). She has published a number of articles on self-employment, entrepreneurship, the ageing of the population and the costs of health-care systems.