The impact of public rates increases on the living conditions of low-income groups : Répercussions des hausses tarifaires sur les conditions de vie des personnes à faible revenu : des tarifs qui excluent... des solutions qui rassemblent

The values of equality, participation and trust are the cornerstones for its deliberations and action Equality—equality of rights and the right to equality—is central to the action aimed at bettering the economic situation of persons living with poverty and social exclusion and improving their and the community’s ability to act. [...] In the opinion of the Comité consultatif, the hike in public rates in recent years had weakened the effect of government measures meant to improve the income of individuals and families. [...] What follows is an analysis of the actual effects of the rise of energy and transportation costs on the lives of low-income groups and an overview of the various approaches for easing the impact. [...] The bigger the increase in the cost of public transportation, the more of a stranglehold social exclusion has on the poor.21 In fact, Myroslaw Smereka’s quotation could be extended by saying that the less available public transportation is in urban and rural areas alike, the more inevitable social exclusion becomes for people on very low incomes. [...] In replying to our invitation to the forum on the impact of public rate increases, Mr Montmarquette wrote to assure us that the panel was keenly aware of the repercussions of user fees on the redistribution of resources and especially, of the impact of public rate increases on low-income individuals.