Program directory · Department of Indigenous Services
Income Assistance
- Department
- Department of Indigenous Services
- Program code
- BXM10 (INDSC)
- Core responsibility
- Health and Social Services
- In Departmental Plans
- 2019-20 – 2022-23 · Appeared and later dropped
What it does
The Income Assistance program is a component of Canada’s social safety net meant to align with provincial and Yukon income assistance programs. The objective of the program is to ensure that eligible individuals and families residing on reserve receive funds to cover the basic expenses of daily living, as well as pre-employment services designed to help them transition to the workforce. The Department provides funding to First Nation communities and organizations, and reimburses the Province of Ontario (as per the Canada-Ontario 1965 Memorandum of Agreement Respecting Welfare Programs for Indians) through funding agreements. The program is delivered in all provinces, and the Yukon (Nunavut and the Northwest Territories deliver their own income assistance programs to all eligible residents).
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2019-20. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Assistance | Earlier program (name match, high confidence) | 2018-19 – 2020-21 | $1.03B |
| Income Assistance | This program | 2019-20 – 2024-25 | $4.82B |
| Income Assistance | Later program (name match, high confidence) | 2023-24 – 2028-29 | $2.96B |
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Appears to replace Income Assistance | Canada Spends name match across plans (an inference) |
| 2020-21 | Renamed from “Income Assistance Program” to “Income Assistance”. | GC InfoBase program names by year |
| 2023-24 | Appears to be replaced by Income Assistance | Canada Spends name match across plans (an inference) |
| 2023-24 | Planned spending $881M, against $1.32B in 2022-23 (−33%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | — | 2020 | — Data compilation and reporting for this program is typically one year behind the year it covers. The collection of the 2018-19 data, which would have been reported on, has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | No result reported |
| 2020-21 | — | 2021 | Not available The collection and compilation of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 results have been delayed due to COVID-19. It is anticipated that the 2019-20 results will be available in July 2022, and 2020-21 results in September 2022. The target and date to achieve have been revised to be established with partners by March 2023 (as reported in the 2021-22 Departmental Plan). | No result reported |
| 2021-22 | — | 2023 | — Data compilation and reporting for this program is typically one year behind the year it covers, with the results only becoming available in the following fiscal year. COVID-19 impacted the collection of results and further delay reporting of these results until September 2023. | No result reported |
| 2022-23 | — | — | Not Available The Income Assistance program is currently undergoing program reform and indicators and outcomes may change as a result. Baseline and targets will be established with First Nation partners as part of this process by March 2024. Data compilation and reporting for this program is typically one year behind the year it covers, with the results only becoming available in the following fiscal year. COV… | No result reported |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
No indicators in the 2026-27 plan.
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | $770M | $983M |
| 2020-21 | $763M | $1.22B |
| 2021-22 | $811M | $1.3B |
| 2022-23 | $1.15B | $1.32B |
| 2023-24 | $881M* | — |
| 2024-25 | $922M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 67 | 61 |
| 2020-21 | 57 | 62 |
| 2021-22 | 71 | 60 |
| 2022-23 | 61 | 64 |
| 2023-24 | 61* | — |
| 2024-25 | 61* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 plan | $770,457,779 | $765,347,723 | $805,431,300 | |||
| 2020-21 plan | $763,052,763 | $805,411,283 | $843,934,734 | |||
| 2021-22 plan | $810,572,408 | $841,819,139 | $881,030,759 | |||
| 2022-23 plan | $1,149,883,132 | $881,039,204 | $921,834,069 | |||
| Actual | $982,713,982 | $1,219,210,212 | $1,301,355,560 | $1,317,675,930 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
