Dear John,

In 2016, the federal government replaced two child-benefit programs with the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), which provides tax-free benefits to eligible families with children under the age of 18.

The Trudeau government often claims that child benefits go to Canadian families who need the money the most.

But a new study published by the Fraser Institute today finds that the CCB has shifted the share of overall spending on child benefits away from lower-income families to middle- and upper-income families.

• The share of total child-benefit spending on families with incomes less than $60,000 declined from 42.9% to 29.7%.
• The share of total child-benefit spending on families with incomes between $60,000 and $180,000 increased from 49.2% to 66.8%.

At a time when Ottawa is running deficits with no end in sight, the CCB is yet another poorly targeted federal program.

Check out the full study here, and be sure to share this one on social media.

Sincerely,

Niels Veldhuis
President
The Fraser Institute