Giving new momentum to the society-wide movement to combat poverty and social exclusion by pooling and better coordinating action for solidarity and social inclusion—this is the reason for the Québec government’s Action Plan for Solidarity and Social Inclusion 2010 2015. The purpose of this second generation of measures is to place Québec among the most inclusive and just societies, one where economic self-sufficiency and personal fulfilment are within the reach of all.

Since 2002, Québec’s efforts have been based on the Act to combat poverty and social exclusion and on the first anti-poverty plan that provided a template for action in the past six years. Thanks to these initiatives and to a sturdier economy mid-decade, Québec moved ahead and continued to further the well-being of its citizens. Québec’s choices, notably those with regard to its social safety net, also made it possible for Québec to weather the economic crisis more successfully than other Canadian provinces1.

With its Strategy and its Government Action Plan to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion, Québec became a source of inspiration. The path it has trod has set an example for other provinces that followed its lead, notably Newfoundland and Labrador and, more recently, Ontario and New Brunswick. Québec still stands a head above the rest by the nature of its legislation and its incentive-based approach to labour market integration.