you need to find an agent who can find you a legit publisher.
Go to the library and find The Writers Handbook. There should be a 2022 edition or Publishers in your area (Canada, right?) . Send in you manuscript or sypnosis of your book.
Tighten up and polish it as best you can. If they think its worth publishing they will properly edit and proofread it and format it so it suits their house style of publishing.
If you are a person of colour, native american or indigenous, you might have more of a look in because publishers are actually accepting and publishing more diverse authors in english these days. Its because of demand.
Its also cos people are reading more widely. Its no longer the exclusive doman of priveliged white ppl. Not sure what the scene is in Canada right now but it used to be academia ALWAYS got published (it was publish or perish) and the lucky ones got into creative writing programs with almost guarantee exposure and access to university presses.
This is most of the advice I can give you, about the book trade. They arent that interested in whether you are on social assistance or not, so long as you can write something people will want to read. If the whole book is about being on social assitance, well it better be useful for readers who want to know about it. Misery lit is its own cathartic genre these days.