The purpose of a poverty line is, primarily, to determine how many people in our society experience genuine deprivation. It has been my argument that poverty is about the absence of basic needs and not about being relatively less well off.
Poverty is different than inequality.
These poverty lines are not very high. They exclude any reference to amenities and common luxuries that many people have. Again, the intent is to find out how many Canadians cannot even afford the basic necessities. The spareness and stringency of the poverty line should not be confused with a lack of compassion. Poverty lines are not allowances for the poor.