Social Studies 11
Name ______________________
(classwork)
Essay question:
Canada has created a welfare state that benefits every man,
woman, and child from cradle to grave.
Evaluate this statement using examples from the period 1914
to the year 2000. Your answer should consider both sides of
the statement.
How do we go about answering this question? What steps do we
need to follow?
First, we need to have a clear sense of what is meant by the
welfare state. For some background information, we can consult
our text– p. 105
Definition of a welfare state: government actively looks after the
well-being of its citizens. Government has a duty to provide basic
services such as education, health, unemployment benefits, and
other kinds of social assistance to those who need it.
Contrast with laissez-faire view of government: government
should take a hands off approach to the economy. It’s not the
role of government to provide social services. Instead,
government’s primary role is to create an atmosphere of healthy
competition for businesses by cutting spending on social programs
and reducing taxes.
The development of a welfare state in Canada begins during the
Depression of the 1930s. The public wanted governments to deal
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with the economic crisis caused by the Depression and create
programs for the unemployed as well as provide money to help
those who were unable to help themselves: the poor, sick, and the
elderly.
Time Line for Social Welfare Developments in Canada
Divide time period from 1914 to 1945 and 1946 to 2000
1914 to 1945
1914
1918 Returning WWI vets had no steady pensions and no
special medical services for those who were wounded.
1927
Acknowledgement that government had a role in providing
social services to its citizens.
1930s
– for those who have no other means of support/income.
1930s
Bennett government gives provinces $20 million for
work-creation programs.
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1933
1935 Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration Act – help
farmers build irrigation systems and reservoirs.
1940
1940 Provincial governments provide money for day care
centres to allow women to work
1944
1945 to 2000
During war, federal government took over some of the powers
of the provinces and Mackenzie King recommended that this
change be permanent – would allow federal government to
adjust government spending to deal with problems such as
unemployment and inflation.
Canadians, during the war years, had also gotten used to
having social programs such as unemployment insurance and
family allowances and wanted them to continue.
1962 Tommy Douglas’s NDP government in Saskatchewan
1966
– introduced by
Pearson government, it improved existing pension plan.
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1966
Canada Assistance Plan – money given to provinces to
provide income assistance
1966
1980s
 Conservative governments come to power in Canada and
other countries. These governments believed that the way
to address the debt that many countries were facing was to
reduce the size of government – primarily through
_________________________________ social
programs.
1984 Canada Health Act (CHA) passed.
CHA is Canada’s health insurance legislation and ensures
that all Canadians have ______________________ access
to medically necessary services such as hospital visits,
surgeries, and family doctor visits regardless of their
income.
CHA forbids doctors and hospitals from charging
______________________________ to people requiring
their services.
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1993-1994
 Liberal Government of Jean Chretien and Finance Minister
Paul Martin – because of massive debt, Canada can no longer
afford “big government” and has to
____________________________ on social programs.
From 1994 to present,
 Liberal government cut ________________________
billion in spending.
 40, 000 federal civil service jobs were eliminated
 Significant cuts to ___________________________ to
provinces for post-secondary education, health, and welfare
 Universities had to raise tuition fees
 Health care system badly hit – less money available
 Hospital wards were _________________
 _____________________ staff were reduced
 Registered nurses were __________________ by aides
with less training – but could be paid less money
 _____________________ stays reduced
 Longer __________________ for surgery
 Some people were forced to go to United States to get
procedures unavailable in Canada
 Increasing _________________________ – in the early
1990s, there was rising unemployment and an increasing gap
between rich and poor. Number of people living below the
poverty line increased.
 _________________________ became more widespread
 ____________________ banks became institutionalized
 Large numbers of ____________________ living in
poverty.
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 According to Campaign 2000, 760, 000 children or
__________________ Canadian kids lived in poverty in
2006.
 The situation is worse in _________________________
where 16% of children live in poverty.
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