Canada’s official poverty rates just shifted — not because incomes suddenly fell, but because Statistics Canada updated the way it measures poverty. The new 2023‑base Market Basket Measure now includes modern essentials like cellphone and internet services, raising the thresholds that define who is considered to be in poverty. As a result, poverty rates for 2020–2023 are slightly higher than previously reported, though the trend remains the same: poverty has been rising since 2020.

This change matters. Programs like the CVITP play a critical role in helping low‑income Canadians access benefits that count toward disposable income. For some households, CVITP support is the difference between being classified as poor or simply low‑income. Understanding how poverty is measured — and what’s left out — is key to making sense of Canada’s latest numbers.

Read this article to learn more about this change.