Those terms, “relative” and “absolute”--and Professor Sarlo too has pointed this out--are not very good descriptors of the different choices among poverty lines. There are consumption basket measures, and there are income basket measures.
I think Statistics Canada refers to the low-income cut-offs as the point below which people are in straitened circumstances or...I forget the other descriptors that they use for low-income cut-offs. Certain studies have been done looking at, for example, functional health of children who live in families with certain income levels. When I have compared that to the low-income cut-offs, in families whose incomes are below the low-income cut-off, the children have a much higher percentage of poor functional health. So I think it's a relevant indicator.