Canadians at all income levels pay taxes. Working hard will prevent poverty. Poverty is often brought on unexpectantly because of loss of employment, the death or disability of a family breadwinner, family breakup, or increased costs because of a major illness or mishap in the lives of people. Welfare benefits have significantly eroded over the last decade. Poor people need to be taught basic life skills like budgeting.
Poor people know how to budget.
Anyone who manages to feed and clothe a family on a very limited income already has budgeting skills. On average, poor families have the same number of children as non-poor families. The welfare system is rife with cheating and fraud. The rate of fraud in the income tax system is approximately 20 times higher than the rate of fraud in the welfare system. We cannot afford the social programs needed to eliminate poverty.