So within that context of a constrained scenario where you can't even access the program you pay into, yes, there was an important improvement. But the bigger hydraulic is much more devastating to women.
The biggest thing you didn't mention that has occurred in the last ten years that has made the greatest difference, particularly to single parents, is the massive expansion of the Canada child tax benefit, which has made a huge difference to people at the very bottom end of the spectrum, reaching right up to about 50% to 60% of the population. That said, income supports help, and you could keep pumping as much money as you want into the income side of the equation, but women are no closer today to being able to assure themselves of affordable housing, which is the biggest bite out of any family's income, whether it's two-parent headed or single-parent headed, or if you're a single elderly person.
So the list of things we're talking about-- housing, post-secondary education, child care--is very short. Just make sure the tax cut agenda, which under the Liberal regime was $134 billion worth in the timeframe, does not redistribute incomes away from the people who most need the help. If you're going to do these things, make sure you're helping the people who need it most.