Social policy and practice in Canada : a history / Alvin Finkel.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Finkel, Alvin, 1949-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Welfare state.

History.

Public welfare.

Social policy.

Canada--Social policy.

Canada.

Canada--Social policy--History.

Public welfare--Canada--History.

Welfare state--Canada--History.

Physical Description:

x, 384 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Waterloo, Ont. : Wilfrid Laurier University Press, [2006]

Summary:

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 neo-liberalism'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 neo-liberal 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 wellbeing 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.

Contents:

Part 1 Non-State Provision (The Pre-Confederation Period)

Chapter 1 First Peoples and Social Needs 17

Chapter 2 New France: The Church, the State, and Feudal Obligations 27

Chapter 3 British North America and the Poor Law 39

Part 2 Beyond the Poor Law: Canada, 1867-1950

Chapter 4 Early Canada: Continuity and Change, 1867-1914 65

Chapter 5 War, Depression, and Social Policy: 1914-39 95

Chapter 6 Paradise Postponed, 1939-50: The Second World War and Its Aftermath 125

Part 3 The Welfare State, 1950-80

Chapter 7 Social Policy and the Elderly, 1950-80 151

Chapter 8 The Medicare Debate, 1945-80 169

Chapter 9 The Child Care Debate, 1945-80 193

Chapter 10 Housing and State Policy, 1945-80 221

Chapter 11 Anti-Poverty Struggles, 1945-80 249

Part 4 Neo-Liberalism

Chapter 12 The Welfare State since 1980 283

Chapter 13 The New Millennium and Social Policy Directions 325.

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references: pages 339-373.

ISBN:

0889204756 :

OCLC:

64670450

Publisher Number:

9780889204751