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

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Finkel, Alvin, 1949-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Public welfare--Canada--History.

Public welfare.

Welfare state--Canada--History.

Welfare state.

Canada--Social policy.

Canada.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (395 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Waterloo, Ont. : Wilfrid Laurier University Press, c2006.

Language Note:

English

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 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.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Acknowledgements

Studying Social Policy

Non-State Provision (The Pre-Confederation Period)

First Peoples and Social Needs

New France: The Church, the State, and Feudal Obligations

British North America and the Poor Law

Beyond the Poor Law: Canada, 1867–1950

Early Canada: Continuity and Change, 1867–1914

War, Depression, and Social Policy: 1914–1939

Paradise Postponed, 1939–50: The Second World War and Its Aftermath

The Welfare State, 1950–80

Social Policy and the Elderly, 1950–80

The Medicare Debate, 1945–80

The Child Care Debate, 1945–80

Housing and State Policy, 1945–80

Anti-Poverty Struggles, 1945–80

Neo-Liberalism

The Welfare State since 1980

The New Millennium and Social Policy Directions

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references: p. 339-373.

ISBN:

9786610465637

9781554588862

1554588863

9781280465635

1280465638

9781554580880

1554580889

9781423785569

1423785568

OCLC:

70251770