I just want to start by giving the members a sense of how big or small this benefit is. It is actually very meagre, very modest, compared to other social transfers.
Just to frame this, in 2015, 1.2 million working-age Canadians received the benefit. It was an annual average of only $807. This compares to child benefits, providing 3.9 million working age people with an average of over $5,000; EI benefits, providing 2.4 million people with an average of over $7,000; and social assistance, providing 1.2 million people with an average of over $8,000.