Gillian Petit

How a program is designed IS what it does. Benefit levels, clawback rates, eligibility rules, appeal rights — not fine print. The policy. Short TLDR video below.
Full open access paper with @gillianpetit.bsky.social 👇
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

The article ends with a case study of the BC Basic Income Expert Panel's work and final report. It concludes the Panel did a good job using an inclusive framework, but it could have been strengthened by conducting & emphasizing qualitative analysis and the perspectives of those with lived experience

For those thinking of how to design #BasicIncome - this one was written with you in mind. How do we grapple with designing a cash transfer that adequately addresses heterogeneity of need and accessibility? How do we think about the whole system of income and social supports, including financing?

Income and Social Supports: An Inclusive Systems‐Based Approach to Cash Transfer Program Design This article presents a systems-based framework for the inclusive design of cash transfer programs in Canada. Grounded in the goal of enhancing inclusion through an intersectional lens, the framework...

**PUBLICATION NEWS** Mine and @lindsaytedds.bsky.social article "Income and Social Supports: An Inclusive Systems-Based Approach to Cash Transfers" is now available for early viewing at Canadian Public Administration. #CdnPoli

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Income and Social Supports: An Inclusive Systems‐Based Approach to Cash Transfer Program Design This article presents a systems-based framework for the inclusive design of cash transfer programs in Canada. Grounded in the goal of enhancing inclusion through an intersectional lens, the framework...

Thrilled to share my lasted publication with @gillianpetit.bsky.social

Income and Social Supports: An Inclusive Systems‐Based Approach to Cash Transfer Program Design - Petit - Canadian Public Administration - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Look what came in the mail today! I’m excited to dig in! Lots of fabulous contributors including myself, @lindsaytedds.bsky.social and Wenshuang Yu. Special thanks to Christopher Cotton for putting this together. #cdnpoli

Slaying myths about income support Rising food insecurity shows Canada’s affordability crisis is real. Income supports fuel inflation or discourage work.

In a new piece for @irpp.org Policy Options, @shaimaayassin.bsky.social, @rsamson.bsky.social and I examine some of the most persistent myths surrounding income supports in Canada — and what the evidence actually shows.

policyoptions.irpp.org/2026/02/inco...

Related: Slaying myths about income support.

Latest piece by @rsamson.bsky.social, @shaimaayassin.bsky.social and @gillianpetit.bsky.social

policyoptions.irpp.org/2026/02/inco...

Groceries & essentials are straining lower income household budgets.The CGEB could reach 12M+ Canadians.Who qualifies? How much will people receive? Who will benefit the most?

@gillianpetit.bsky.social & @shaimaayassin.bsky.social break it down in their new IRPP commentary: irpp.org/research-stu...

Looking ahead, the CGEB should be viewed not as the final policy response to food insecurity, but as a foundation. Adjustments to targeting parameters and attention to take-up barriers such as tax non-filing could significantly strengthen its impact.

Our analysis suggests that benefit structures that concentrate support at the bottom of the income distribution can better address affordability issues for those with the lowest incomes and yield larger reductions in poverty

However, the CGEB improves affordability primarily for households near the low-income threshold, while offering more limited relief for those facing the most severe material constraints.

The CGEB is a step toward addressing persistent affordability pressures through an existing, well-established transfer mechanism. The federal govt has opted for a tool that can be delivered quickly, reaches a large share of lower-income households & involves relatively low administrative complexity.

In Q3 2025, very low-income households spent about 115 per cent of their disposable income on shelter, food purchased from stores and transportation.

While the CGEB will alleviate some of this pressure, impacts are smaller for those with very low income.

The CGEB is expected to reach about 12 million recipients, but the average benefit increase is modest relative to the scale of recent affordability pressures.

Expanding the GST/HST Credit: How the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit Helps Canadians and Why Design Choices Matter - IRPP The federal government announced the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB) on January 26, 2026. The benefit is an expansion of the existing GST/HST Credit aimed at easing affordability pressu...

New out today by myself and @shaimaayassin.bsky.social with @irpp.org: on the expansion of the GST/HST Credit and why design choices matter.

irpp.org/research-stu...

Alberta’s separation from Canada would be illegal Alberta separatism is gaining attention, but Canadian constitutional law and international law make independence virtually impossible.

Robert J. Currie: Alberta’s separation from Canada would be illegal policyoptions.irpp.org/2026/02/albe...

I live close to the mountains (Banff/Canmore). We used to visit all the time when I was young. Now, we never go. It's too expensive and too over-crowded. It's sad. But, we do make our way down to the Crowsnest Pass area. It's not as swanky but it's cheap (for now).

Indication of Interest in Participation in UCalgary Study Study title: Evaluation of Income Supports and Employment for Persons with Disabilities in Alberta On February 4, 2025, the Alberta Government announced the creation of a new income support program—...

Are you a person receiving AISH or living with a disability in AB? I'm leading a research study on the economic well-being of AISH clients/PWDs and would welcome your participation. Please click the link below to learn more & sign up #Alberta #AISH #ADAP #disability

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

The CGEB will have an impact on the poverty rate. The SPSD/M estimates that in 2026, the CGEB will reduce the poverty rate by about 4% (about 0.3 percentage points), mostly for those in the fourth income decile and couples with children. These are persons that are closest to the poverty threshold.

Why? Because single adults with zero/the lowest income receive a smaller benefit than single adults with low-but-slightly-higher income. Single adults make up most of the benefits recipients.

What will the distributional effects of the new Canada Groceries and Essential Benefit (CGEB) be? In both 2026 and 2027, families/persons in the 3rd and 4th income deciles will receive the largest additional benefits. #CDNpoli #Canada

I'm hoping to follow up later with some poverty numbers. I can't do food insecurity (no data). Anything else people want to see?

One other thing - for persons receiving the Canada Disability Benefit, their GST/HST benefit/Groceries and Essential Benefit will be reduced even further than what I modelled. The CDB is tax reportable meaning it will reduce other benefits. SPSDM doesn't have the CDB yet so I couldn't model it yet

So far what I see is that the additional benefit going to GST/HST eligible persons in 2026 is small. I also find it odd that the govt did not take this opportunity to fix the benefit schedule for single adults to ensure those with the lowest income receive at leas thte same amount of benefit.

This is because the benefit schedule for single adults has lower benefit levels for those with the lowest income. For other family types, the benefit schedule does not have this feature. If we re-do the graph by family type, we see this:

In this figure, I show the average increase in the GST/HST Benefit (the one-time top up plus 25% of base) in calendar year 2026 by (equivalized, by family size) income decile.

Nuclear families in the first income decile receive an amount that is smaller than those in the third income decile.

On average, the GST/HST Credit will increase by $309.24/year in 2026 for persons receiving the GST/HST Credit. However, there is heterogeneity, both by income and by family type.

I've been analyzing the new Groceries and Essentials Benefit which basically increases the GST/HST Credit - and I have some numbers. These are based on Bill C-19 and are calculated for the 2026 calendar year using SPSD/M (v. 30.3).
#CDNpoli

A 🧵....

How to help Canadians struggling on welfare Increase the GST/HST credit to $100 per month for struggling working-age adults or $150 a month for those in deep poverty. Pay it monthly.

@gillianpetit.bsky.social wrote about doing such a thing in more detail back in 2024 here policyoptions.irpp.org/2024/04/welf...