Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Despite 15 years of monitoring, food insecurity remains a persistent problem in Canada, disproportionately affecting families with children. Yet, several studies have provided indications of improvements in food security among population subgroups in tandem with income-based interventions. In this paper, we exploit the opportunity afforded by a recent change to Canada's child assistance policy to assess how food insecurity functions relative to changes in a direct income transfer program. Our analysis used an intent-to-treat, difference-in-difference design to assess whether Canadian households with children experienced reductions in the prevalence and severity of food insecurity following the July 2016 introduction of the Canada Child Benefit. We found a significant decline in severe food insecurity among families with children, with the most marked change among low-income families. Our results highlight the sensitivity of household food insecurity to income transfers and furnish evidence of the potential for even modest income transfers to meaningfully impact this problem.