The Development of the Social Welfare System in Canada

The social welfare system in Canada has come to experience many fluctuations in the last sixty years. The development of the social welfare system has come across various factors throughout the years which have influenced the overall economic, social and political scopes in Canada today. The major events that stirred the nation was the Great Depression of the 1930s and the Second World War, which brought about a threatened sense of security among the people. The time frame between 1949 and 1973 was known as the period of growth and development, as this is the time when social welfare programs were expanded and a renewed sense of Canadian identity was born. In the early 1950s, social policy developments were significant, as the government was catering to the needs of the population, one in this case being the elderly. At this time, the Old Age Security Act was passed, which assisted elderly citizens by providing them forty dollars a month beginning at the age of seventy (Turner, 29). This act was one of the first to be passed as universal in nature, with the government finally stepping in to assist in the areas where it was most needed. In addition, as the social welfare programs continued to expand and develop, a period of stalled growth came around through the years 1974 till 1982. This was mainly due to the fact that multinational corporations were moving their operations overseas to third world countries in order to maximize their profits, by taking advantage of cheaper labour. At this point, inequality was beginning to show its signs in Canada as unemployment began to hit labour intensive jobs, due to technological advancements in the manufacturing industry. Also, relating back to the OECD article, Divided We Stand: Why Inequality Keeps Rising, technological progress was more beneficial for workers that had higher skills. For example, workers that had knowledge in the information technology field were more specific to the financial sector as they enjoyed

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