Presentation to “The Political Economy of Social Policy in
North America,” St Antony’s College, University of Oxford
March 1, 2013
Professor Michael J. Prince
University of Victoria
 Purposes:
 Describe basic features of Canada’s political economy
and welfare regime
 Outline recent major changes in social policy
 Reflect on implications for universalism and social
rights of citizenship
 Questions:
 In what areas of social policy is universality more or less
in effect?
 Is the Canadian welfare regime moving towards greater
universalism?
2
 Market capitalism – fundamental context of economy
 North American continentalism – trade dependencies
 Nationalism(s) – Canadian, Québécois, Indigenous
 Keynesianism – still used in budgetary policy
 Trade unionism – modest and fragmented
 Regionalism – strong politically and economically
 Federalism – fundamental context of the polity
 Social democratic politics – present and moderate
 Conservatism/liberalism – dominant ideologies
3
 Immigration – 2 million people in last 10 years
 Multiculturalism – 17 % of population are members of





“visible minority” communities
Indigenous peoples – about 4% of population, median
age 27, just over half live off-reserves
Aging population – median age 41.2
Increasing labour force participation of women – 62%
Diversifying forms of families and marital relationships
Growing population – highest growth rate among G 8
nations between 2001 and 2011, due mainly to
immigration
4
 Private market plays substantial role in numerous





areas of social protection
Heavy reliance on personal responsibility, family, and
voluntary sector provision
Selective public safety net (last resort/residual welfare)
programs
Wage earner/social insurance a major role in
determining access to public provisions
Tax expenditures widely used in social programming
A few universal income entitlements
5
Policy area
Selective
Child care
X
Disability income
X
Disability supports
X
Social Insurance
Universal
X (Quebec)
X
Education
X
Elderly income
X
Family income
X
X
X
X
Medical care
X
Other health care
X
Housing
X
Labour services
X
Welfare
X
X
Parental benefits
X
Sickness benefits
X
Workplace injuries
X
6
 Pre-welfare state (before 1940s)
 Primary and secondary public education
 Public libraries
 Public parks and local community centres
 Modern welfare state era
 Old Age Security (since 1952)
 Family Allowance (1945-1992)
 Hospital and medical care (nationally since 1972)
 Child care and early learning services (Quebec: since
late 1990s)
7
 Federal government decisions:
 Cancellation of Court Challenges Program
 Cancellation of Early Learning and Child Care
Agreements with all 10 provinces
 Introduction of Universal Child Care Benefit
 Maintenance of health care transfers to provinces but
with no national conditions
 Provincial government decisions:
 Restoration of health care funding after austerity period
 Introduction of universal full-day kindergarten
 Comprehensive poverty-reduction plans
8
 Stalled development of public early learning and child care





services across the country
Much of family care continues to reside with unpaid labour
by women
Loss of judicial arena for groups to advance legal claims for
equality rights
Provincialization of poverty policy in Canada
Federal retreat along with provincial activism means a
decentralization of social citizenship rights and duties
which, in turn, are often commodified and medicalized
Universality/selectivity debates are never truly over
9
 Canada’s welfare regime is a blend of policy continuities,




policy innovations, and a few major policy disjunctures
While universality is a major value in health care and
education policy, the contributory principle of social
insurance and the selectivity principle predominate in
most program areas
In social policy, Canadian citizens are increasingly
provincial citizens
Universalism is a political force in Canadian life; joined
with other dominant ideas and practices rooted in civil
society, liberal policy legacies, and the market economy
Thus universalism it is not the driving force behind most
social issues or welfare regime developments
10
Michael J. Prince
Lansdowne Professor of Social Policy
Faculty of Human and Social Development
University of Victoria
mprince@uvic.ca
11