Social programs in Canada
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Social programs in Canada (
Background
Usage
In Canada, the entirety of the social provisions of government are called social programs (
Like
History
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Generally speaking, before the Great Depression most social services were provided by religious charities and other private groups. Changing government policy between the 1930s and 1960s saw the emergence of a welfare state, similar to many Western European countries. Most programs from that era are still in use, although many were scaled back during the 1990s as government priorities shifted towards reducing budget deficits that were reaching levels deemed too high.
Healthcare
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All provinces in Canada provide
In 2023, the government established the Canadian Dental Care Plan, which began a staggered enrolment rollout in December 2023, to pay costs for covered dental services of eligible residents.[3]
Education
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In Canada, provinces and territories are responsible for their elementary and secondary schools. Education is compulsory up to the age of 16 in most provinces, 17 and 18 in others. Both elementary and secondary education is provided at a nominal cost. Private education is available, but its comparatively high costs and the relative quality of public education result in it being less popular than in the United States or Britain. Post-secondary schooling is not free, but is subsidized by the federal and provincial governments. Financial assistance is available through
Housing
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Canadian mortgages are insured by the federal
Unemployment benefits
Low-income support
All provinces maintain a low-income-support program known by names such as "social assistance", "income support", "income assistance" and "welfare assistance"; popularly they are known as welfare (French: le bien-être social or l'aide sociale).
The purpose of these programs is to alleviate extreme poverty by providing a monthly payment to people with little or no income. The rules for eligibility and the amount given vary widely between the provinces. This program was created in the 1940s, and in Quebec in 1958. The original plan was for Ottawa to pay half of the financial support for families and the other half paid by each of the provinces.[citation needed]
Seniors
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Most Canadian seniors are eligible for
Children and families
Usually each province has a department or ministry in charge of
Disability
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Each province is responsible for disability welfare:
- Alberta – Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped.
- British Columbia – Income Assistance for Persons with Disabilities (Disability Assistance), which is run and maintained by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.[6]
- Ontario – assistive devices for people with long-term physical disabilities.[7]
- Quebec – Programme de solidarité sociale (Contraintes sévères à l'emploi),[clarification needed] which is run and maintained by the Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity.[8]
- Saskatchewan - Assured Income for Disability.[9]
Regional aid
The government has several agencies dedicated to developing specific regions.
- Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
- Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
- Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
- Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario
- Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
- Western Economic Diversification Canada
See also
- Basic income in Canada
- Poverty in Canada
- Matthew effect (Sociology)
- Welfare
- Welfare state
- Social safety net
- Social security
- Social policy
Comparisons
- American social programs
- Australian social security
- Indian social programs
- Italian welfare
- New Zealand welfare
- Scandinavian welfare model
- UK welfare
References
- ^ Government transfer payments to persons Archived 4 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Statistics Canada, 8 November 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
- ^ a b "National Standards and Social Programs: What the Federal Government Can Do (BP379e)". .parl.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
- ^ Rachini, Mouhamad (12 December 2023). "Canada's new dental care plan could impact nearly 9 million Canadians — are you one of them?". CBC News. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ Gilles Séguin. "Welfare". Canadian Social Research. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
- ^ Canada Revenue Agency – UCCB [dead link]
- ^ "On disability assistance - Province of British Columbia".
- ^ "Ontario Disability Support Program".
- ^ "Aide sociale et solidarité sociale | Gouvernement du Québec". Archived from the original on 31 October 2018.
- ^ "Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID)".
Further reading
- Herrick, John Middlemist; Stuart, Paul H (2005). Encyclopedia of social welfare history in North America. Sage Publications. ISBN 0-7619-2584-8.
Social welfare in Canada.
- Milbourne, Paul (2010). Welfare Reform in Rural Places: Comparative Perspectives. Emerald. ISBN 9781849509183.
- Moscovitch, Allan; Jennissen, Theresa; Findlay, Peter (1983). The welfare state in Canada: a selected bibliography, 1840 to 1978. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN 0-88920-114-5.
Social welfare in Canada.
- Raphael, Dennis (2007), Poverty and Policy in Canada: Implications for Health and Quality of Life, Canadian Scholars' Press, ISBN 9781551303239
- Turner, Francis Joseph (2005), Encyclopedia of Canadian social work, Wilfrid Laurier University Press, ISBN 0889204365
- Westhues, Anne (2006). Canadian social policy: issues and perspectives. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN 978-0-88920-504-8.
External links
- Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
- Social Programs - Indian and Northern Affairs Canada