Examining Social Justice and Equality
Social justice and equality are basic human rights. Every Canadian, or citizen of
the world for that matter, deserves both. However, in an increasingly globalized society
and economic landscape, the basic humans rights of people in Canada and across the
globe are being violated. This has resulted in great inequalities and the effects are now
far-reaching with abject poverty becoming a harsh reality that many Canadians must
face in their daily lives. Due to factors like cutbacks in government expenditures, a
globalized economic system and a controlled labour market, the gap between the
affluent and the impoverished is widening, and socially just social welfare is needed
now more than ever to alleviate the suffering of the growing number of destitute
individuals and families in Canada.
Social welfare should be equally accessible to all citizens as a basic human right,
and that provision should include adequate income security programs and social
services to meet the needs of Canadians so that no one will have to live in poverty. The
major components of the social welfare system in Canada are income security, which
includes programs that provide material assistance or financial aid, and social services,
which includes the provision of both community services and personal services that are
meant to improve the well-being of Canadian citizens (Hick, 2007). They are at the helm
of socially just social welfare, and social welfare policies in Canada should reflect this to
account for socially constructed inequalities and human rights violations that result in a
market-based economy.
This approach should be made available by the federal government to Canadian
citizens to assist them in times of need, in a way that acknowledges and addresses