Social programs in Canada include all government programs designed to give assistance to citizens outside of what the market provides. The Canadian social safety net

Social safety net

Social safety nets, or "socioeconomic safety nets", are non-contributory transfer programs seeking to prevent the poor or those vulnerable to shocks and poverty from falling below a certain poverty level. Safety net programs can be provided by the public sector or by the private sector...

 covers a broad spectrum of programs, and because Canada is a federation

Canadian federalism

Canada is a federation with two distinct jurisdictions of political authority: the country-wide federal government and the ten regionally-based provincial governments. It also has three territorial governments in the far north, though these are subject to the federal government...

, many are run by the provinces. Canada has a wide range of government transfer payments to individuals, which totalled $164 billion in 2008. Only social programs that direct funds to individuals are included in that cost; programs such as medicare and public education are additional costs.

Usage

In Canada, the entirety of the social provisions of government are called "social programs" , rather than "social welfare" as in European and British usage. "Welfare" in Canada, like in the United States, colloquially refers to direct payments to low-income individuals only, and not to healthcare and education spending. It is rarely used as the name of any specific program, however, because of its negative connotations, and because the word "welfare" is not easily translated into French. In slang, welfare is also sometimes referred to as "pogey" (Canadian slang), or occasionally "the dole" (slang, as in British usage).

History

Generally speaking before the Great Depression

Great Depression in Canada

Canada was hit hard by the Great Depression. Between 1929 and 1939, the gross national product dropped 40% . Unemployment reached 27% at the depth of the Depression in 1933...

 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

Welfare state

A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...

, 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 debt and deficit.

Healthcare

All provinces in Canada provide universal, publicly funded healthcare for those services which are considered "medically necessary", with their costs partially subsidized by the federal government. Services which are not "listed" (covered by a provincial insurance plan), or have been "delisted" (removed from the plan) may be purchased privately. Compared to other single-payer health systems in the world, Canada is unusual in banning the purchase of private insurance or care for any services that are listed. This is meant to prevent what is described as "two-tier healthcare", which would allow the rich to "jump the queue". However, in 2005 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in Chaoulli v. Quebec (Attorney General)

Chaoulli v. Quebec (Attorney General)

Chaoulli v. Quebec [2005] 1 S.C.R. 791, was a decision by the Supreme Court of Canada where the Court ruled that the Quebec Health Insurance Act and the Hospital Insurance Act prohibiting private medical insurance in the face of long wait times violated the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and...

that the ban on private care could be unconstitutional if it caused unreasonable delays for patients.

Education

Mandatory primary education is provided by all provinces for a nominal cost. Private education is also available but its comparatively high costs and the relative quality of public education prevent many parents of using it as compared to the United States or Britain. Secondary education is optional and therefore more expensive, while post-secondary is yet more expensive but it still subsidized to a great extent by the federal and provincial governments. Student loans

Student loans in Canada

Student loans in Canada help post-secondary students pay for their education in Canada. The federal government funds the Canada Student Loan Program and the provinces may fund their own programs or run in parallel with the CSLP...

 also exist to ease costs.

Housing

Canadian mortgages are insured by the federal Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation and most provinces have ministries in charge of regulating the housing market.

Low-income support

All provinces maintain a program of this sort known by names such as "social assistance", "income support", "income assistance" and "welfare assistance"; popularly they are known as welfare. 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.

Seniors

Most Canadian seniors are eligible for Old Age Security

Old Age Security

The Old Age Security pension is a taxable monthly social security payment available to most Canadians 65 years of age or older. As of July, 2011, the basic amount is C$533.70 per month. At tax time, recipients with 2010 incomes over C$67,668 must pay back a portion of their Old Age Security at a...

, a taxable monthly social security payment. In addition, most former workers can receive Canada Pension Plan

Canada Pension Plan

The Canada Pension Plan is a contributory, earnings-related social insurance program. It forms one of the two major components of Canada's public retirement income system, the other component being Old Age Security...

 or Quebec Pension Plan benefits based on their contributions during their careers. As well many people have a private pension through their employer, although that is becoming less common, and many people take advantage of a government tax-shelter for investments called a Registered Retirement Savings Plan

Registered Retirement Savings Plan

A Registered Retirement Savings Plan or RRSP is a type of Canadian account for holding savings and investment assets. Introduced in 1957, the RRSP's purpose is to promote savings for retirement by employees. It must comply with a variety of restrictions stipulated in the Canadian Income Tax Act...

 or may save money privately.

Regional aid

Because Canada is highly regionally disparate, the federal government has several agencies dedicated to developing specific regions. It should also be noted that regional disparities are also a source of tension within other programs listed above, especially healthcare and Employment Insurance.

• Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
  Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
  The Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for policies relating to Aboriginal peoples...
  
  
• Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
  Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
  The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is the Canadian federal government agency responsible for helping to build economic capacity in the Atlantic Provinces by working with the people of the region – in their communities, through their institutions and with their local and provincial governments...
  
  
• Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
  Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
  The Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec is a Federal agency that has the responsibility of promoting economic expansion in Quebec by promoting small or medium-sized enterprises.Under its Act, which came into effect on October 5, 2005, the object of the Agency is to...
  
  
• Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario
• Western Economic Diversification Canada
  Western Economic Diversification Canada
  Western Economic Diversification Canada is a Canadian federal department that works towards building strong, competitive and innovative businesses and communities in Western Canada...
  
  

Aboriginal peoples

Because responsibility for "Indians" was given to the federal government in the constitution, and due to cultural and historical differences from the rest of the population, social programs for First Nations

First Nations

First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...

, Metis

Métis people (Canada)

The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...

, and Inuit

Inuit

The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...

 people are often administered separately from the general population. Aboriginal Canadians suffer from higher rates of most social problems, and have a lower literacy rate, income, and life expectancy, and higher incarceration rate than the general population. There is significant controversy over whether or not the separate administration of programs for Aboriginals represents a positive and helpful accommodation of a disadvantaged minority, an instance of segregation and discrimination, or even a case of special treatment and "reverse discrimination".

Children and families

Usually each province has a department or ministry in charge of child welfare and dealing with adoption, foster care, etc. As of 2007 the federal government also offers the Universal Child Care Benefit to subsidize the cost of daycare spots or other forms of childcare

Childcare

Child care means caring for and supervising child/children usually from 0–13 years of age. In the United States child care is increasingly referred to as early childhood education due to the understanding of the impact of early experiences of the developing child...

.

Disability

The provinces are each responsible for disability

Disability

A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...

 welfare.

L'Arche - Jean Vanier

• Alberta's program is called Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped
  Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped
  Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped is the legal name of a social welfare program and service offered in Alberta to nearly 39,000 Albertan citizens...
  
  
• The Ontario government has the Ontario Disability Support Program which offers income
  Income
  Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...
  
   and employment
  Employment
  Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
  
   assistance for disabled people and the Assistive Devices Program to provides assistive devices to people with disabilities.

See also

• Matthew effect#Social policy
• Poverty in Canada
  Poverty in Canada
  Poverty in Canada remains prevalent with some segments of society. The measurement of poverty has been a challenge as there is no official government measure. There is an ongoing debate in Canada about whether a relative measure of poverty, or absolute measure of poverty, is more valid...
  
  
• Welfare
• Welfare state
  Welfare state
  A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
  
  
• Social safety net
  Social safety net
  Social safety nets, or "socioeconomic safety nets", are non-contributory transfer programs seeking to prevent the poor or those vulnerable to shocks and poverty from falling below a certain poverty level. Safety net programs can be provided by the public sector or by the private sector...
  
  
• Social security
  Social security
  Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
  
  
• Social policy
  Social policy
  Social policy primarily refers to guidelines, principles, legislation and activities that affect the living conditions conducive to human welfare. Thus, social policy is that part of public policy that has to do with social issues...
  
  

Comparisons

• Social Security (United States)
  Social Security (United States)
  In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
  
  
• Social Security (Australia)
  Social Security (Australia)
  Social Security, in Australia, refers to a system of social welfare payments provided by Commonwealth Government of Australia. These payments are administered by a Government body named Centrelink...
  
  
• Italian welfare state
  Italian welfare state
  The Italian welfare state is based upon the corporatist-conservative model, as described by Gøsta Esping-Andersen, one of the world's foremost sociologists working on the analysis of welfare states.- Health care :...
  
  
• Scandinavian welfare model

also Swedish welfare

Swedish welfare

Social welfare in Sweden is made up of several organizations and systems dealing with welfare. It is mostly funded by taxes, and executed by the public sector on all levels of government as well as private organisations...

 and Social Security (Sweden)

Social Security (Sweden)

Social security in Sweden consists of various social insurances handled by Försäkringskassan and welfare given out on a need basis by local municipalities.- Child allowance and parental benefit :...

• Social welfare in New Zealand
  Social welfare in New Zealand
  Social welfare has long been an important part of New Zealand society and a significant political issue. It is concerned with the provision by the state of benefits and services. Together with fiscal welfare and occupational welfare, it makes up the social policy of New Zealand.Social welfare in...
  
  

External links

• Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
• Social Programs - Indian and Northern Affairs Canada