This book deals with the social, political, constitutional, moral, and economic developments which led to the implementation of a system of family allowances in Canada in July of 1945. The book focuses on when the idea first became identified in Canada; family allowances in relation to other social security measures of the time; the constitutional, moral, and financial obstacles to their implementation; the affect of family allowance legislation upon political parties; the reaction of the provinces to this legislation; and the timing of the legislation. Family allowances went through three stages in Canada: recommendations, official and unofficial, and subsequent public discussion; parliamentary debate and legislative enactment in August 1944; and the establishment of the administrative machinery leading to their implementation in July 1945.

With poverty, unemployment, and one-parent families on the rise in most Western democracies, government assistance presents an increasingly urgent and complex problem. This is the first study to explore Canada's family policies in an international context. Maureen Baker looks at the successes and failures of social programs in other countries in search of solutions that might work in Canada. Baker has chosen seven industrialized countries for her comparative study: Australia, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These countries experience social and economic strains similar to those felt in Canada, and though they share certain policy solutions, major differences in policy remain. Baker considers which of the policies in these countries are most effective in reducing poverty, enhancing family life, and improving the status of women, then applies her findings to the Canadian situation. Bringing together research and statistics from the fields of demography, political science, economics, sociology, women's studies, and social policy, this rich, multidisciplinary study provides a unique resource for anyone interested in Canadian family policy.

All of us, as Canadians, are touched throughout our lives by some aspect of social welfare, either as recipients, donors, or taxpayers. But despite the importance of the social network in our country, there has been no single source of information about this critical component of our society. Even professionals in the field of social work or social services have not had a comprehensive volume addressing the myriad features of this critical societal structure. The Encyclopedia of Canadian Social Work fills this need. Over five hundred topics important to Canadian social work are covered, written by a highly diverse group of social workers covering all aspects of the field and all areas of the country. Practitioners, policy makers, academics, social advocates, researchers, students, and administrators present a rich overview of the complexity and diversity of social work and social welfare as it exists in Canada. The principal finding from this project underscores the long-held perception that there is a Canadian model of social work that is unique and stands as a useful model to other countries. The Encyclopedia of Canadian Social Work will be an important source of information, both to Canadians and to interested groups around the world. The Encyclopedia of Canadian Social Work is available in e-book version by subscription or from university and college libraries through the following vendors: Canadian Electronic Library, Ebrary, MyiLibrary, and Netlibrary.

This is the first volume in a series intended to report on the evolution of family policies in Western welfare states (and to compare current provisions). The developments are presented in the context of a report on family change for each of the countries, and with a view of the economic, political, and institutional climates in which they occurred. Topics covered in this book include family formation and current structural patterns, families and the division of labor, the income of families (earnings, taxation, transfer programs), and also the political and institutional contexts for family policy. An extensive bibliography is provided.

This book analyzes the major influences shaping the Canadian welfare state. A central trend in Canadian social security over most of the twentieth century has been a shift from a ‘residual’ to an ‘institutional’ concept. The residual approach, which dominated until the Second World War, posited that the causes of poverty and joblessness were to be found within individuals and were best remedied by personal initiative and reliance on the private market. However, the dramatic changes brought about by the Great Depression and the Second World War resulted in the rise of an institutional approach to social security. Poverty and joblessness began to be viewed as the results of systemic failure, and the public began to demand that governments take action to establish front-rank institutions guaranteeing a level of protection against the common risks to livelihood. Thus, the foundations of the Canadian welfare state were established. The Emergence of Social Security in Canada is both an important historical resource and an engrossing tale in its own right, and it will be of great interest to anyone concerned about Canadian social policy.

Part history and part social commentary, this book examines the repatriation of Canada's WWII veterans with a collection of essays by 11 historians. Topics include the administration of the return of Canadian soldiers from Europe after VE--Day, the philosophy and benefits of the Veterans Charter, veterans' rights, educational opportunities for returning vets, and the rehabilitation of veterans with disabilities. Includes bandw photographs. Appends the complete text of Back to Civil Life, a 1946 repatriation manual. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Social Policy and Practice in Canada: A History traces the history of social policy in Canada from the period of First Nations’ control to the present day, exploring the various ways in which residents of the area known today as Canada have organized themselves to deal with (or to ignore) the needs of the ill, the poor, the elderly, and the young. This book is the first synthesis on social policy in Canada to provide a critical perspective on the evolution of social policy in the country. While earlier work has treated each new social program as a major advance, and reacted with shock to neoliberalism’s attack on social programs, Alvin Finkel demonstrates that right-wing and left-wing forces have always battled to shape social policy in Canada. He argues that the notion of a welfare state consensus in the period after 1945 is misleading, and that the social programs developed before the neoliberal counteroffensive were far less radical than they are sometimes depicted. Social Policy and Practice in Canada: A History begins by exploring the non-state mechanisms employed by First Nations to insure the well-being of their members. It then deals with the role of the Church in New France and of voluntary organizations in British North America in helping the unfortunate. After examining why voluntary organizations gradually gave way to state-controlled programs, the book assesses the evolution of social policy in Canada in a variety of areas, including health care, treatment of the elderly, child care, housing, and poverty.

This book explores the family allowance phenomenon from the idea's debut in the House of Commons in 1929 to the program's demise as a universal program under the Mulroney government in 1992. Although successive federal governments remained committed to its underlying principle of universality, party politics, bureaucracy, federal-provincial wrangling, and the shifting priorities of citizens eroded the rights-based approach to social security and replaced it with one based on need. In tracing the evolution of one social security program within a national perspective, From Rights to Needs sheds new light on how Canada's welfare state and social policy has been transformed over the past half century.