Quebec Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity Jean Boulet has announced that $146 million in funding will be directed toward assisting low-income, single-parent families over the course of five years.
The investment, predicted to start on Oct. 1, is aimed at making up for the lack of money single-parent families receive in alimony when a parent is on social assistance.
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When on social assistance, the Quebec government requires parents pay $100 in alimony per child instead of the required $350. As a result, many low-income single parents receive $250 less per child in alimony.
According to Boulet, the government will solve this problem by paying these families $250 in compensation. This will allow low-income single parents that only receive $100 a month in alimony to be fully compensated without hurting the parents on social assistance.
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This settlement will benefit 76 per cent of low-income, single-parent households, according to Boulet.