This is the 2023 report on the progress of Opportunity for All – Canada’s First Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS).

While COVID-19 still threatens communities in Canada and around the world, the public health measures have largely been lifted. Temporary economic measures have also ended. At the same time, Canada is also dealing with high inflation and rising interest rates. These issues are making it challenging for many people to meet their basic needs. This contributed to rising poverty rates in 2021. Estimates also suggest further increases in 2022. There is a 1.5-year lag in the availability of annual poverty statistics. This means the impacts of the rising cost of living have only begun to show up in the data. However, rising costs and the removal of temporary pandemic benefits in 2020 and 2021, are likely to have contributed to increasing poverty rates in 2022.

This report includes statistics gathered in the past 3 years as well as recommendations for the future.