Activists decry Quebec welfare travel restrictions that force recipients to stay put
MONTREAL — Social activists are denouncing a Quebec government practice that cuts off welfare payments if recipients leave the province for a week or more.
The so-called 7/15 rule was introduced in 2015 as part of a number of changes designed to get people back to work.
It states that welfare recipients have their payments suspended if they spend more than seven consecutive days or 15 days a month outside of Quebec. That forces them to reapply and repay any amounts paid out while they were deemed inadmissible.
Activists say the rules have an adverse impact on certain groups, notably immigrants and women who have to forgo travel for events like marriages, illness or death for fear of having their payments cut.