n. & adj. — Administration, Politics
government assistance provided to low-income individuals; welfare payments.
Type: 5. Frequency — Social assistance is a Canadian term equivalent to the more common "social security" or "welfare", which are used in the US and other countries. The term is used most frequently in Canada (see Chart 1).
See also COD-2, s.v. "social assistance", and Gage-5, s.v. "social assistance", which are marked "Cdn", and OED-3, s.v. "social assistance", which is marked "Canad.", and AHD-5, s.v. "social assistance", which is marked "Canadian".
See also: pogey (def. 3)
Images:

Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 15 Oct. 2012