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Social programs in Canada (French:programmes sociaux) include allCanadian government programs designed to give assistance to citizens outside of what the market provides. The Canadiansocial safety net includes a broad spectrum of programs, many of which are run by theprovinces and territories. Canada also has a wide range of governmenttransfer payments to individuals, which totaled $176.6 billion in 2009—this cost only includes social programs that administer funds to individuals; programs such asmedicare andpublic education are additional costs.[1]
In Canada, the entirety of the social provisions of government are calledsocial programs (French:programmes sociaux), as opposed tosocial welfare in European/British parlance.
Likein the United States,welfare in Canada colloquially refers to direct payments to low-income individuals only, and not to healthcare and education spending.[2] It is rarely used in Canada as the name of any specific program, however, because of its negative connotations. (In French, it is commonly known asle bien-être social orl'aide sociale.) In Canadian slang,welfare is also sometimes referred to as "the dole" (also common amongst Britain and other Commonwealth countries) or "pogey". Before the Second World War, such programs were generally known as "relief".
Generally speaking, before theGreat Depression most social services were provided by religious charities and other private groups. Changing government policy between the 1930s and 1960s saw the emergence of awelfare state, similar to many Western European countries. Most programs from that era are still in use, although many were scaled back during the 1990s as government priorities shifted towards reducing budget deficits that were reaching levels deemed too high.[3]
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All provinces in Canada provideuniversal,publicly funded healthcare to Canadian citizens, permanent residents and certaintemporary residents, with their costs partially subsidized by the federal government. Approximately 70% of expenditures forhealthcare in Canada come from public sources, with the rest paid privately (both through private insurance, and through out-of-pocket payments). The extent of public financing varies considerably across services. For example, approximately 99% of physician services, and 90% of hospital care, are paid by publicly funded sources, whereas almost all dental care and most prescription drug cost are paid for privately. Most physicians are self-employed private entities which enjoy coverage under each province's respective healthcare plans. Compared to othersingle-payer health systems in the world, Canada is unusual in banning the purchase of private insurance or care for any services that are listed. This is meant to prevent what is described as 'two-tier healthcare', which would allow the rich to "jump the queue". However, in 2005 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled inChaoulli v. Quebec (Attorney General) that the ban on private care could be unconstitutional if it caused unreasonable delays for patients.
In 2023, the government established theCanadian Dental Care Plan, which began a staggered enrolment rollout in December 2023, to pay costs for covered dental services of eligible residents.[4]
In Canada, provinces and territories are responsible for their elementary and secondary schools. Education is compulsory up to the age of 16 in most provinces, 17 and 18 in others. Both elementary and secondary education is provided at a nominal cost.[5] Private education is available, but its comparatively high costs and the relative quality of public education result in it being less popular than in the United States or Britain. Post-secondary schooling is not free, but is subsidized by the federal and provincial governments. Financial assistance is available throughstudent loans and bursaries.[6][7][8]
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Canadian mortgages are insured by the federalCanadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation and most provinces have ministries in charge of regulating the housing market. It was created in the 1940s and in Quebec in 1958.
Formerly called "Unemployment Insurance", this system's name was changed to "Employment Insurance" (EI,French:Prestations d’assurance-emploi) in 1996. In 2024, Canadian workers paid premiums of 1.66%[9] of insured earnings in return for benefits if they lose their jobs.
TheEmployment and Social Insurance Act was passed during theGreat Depression by the government ofR. B. Bennett as an attempted Canadian unemployment insurance program (in 1935). It was ruled unconstitutional by theSupreme Court of Canada, however, as unemployment was judged to be an insurance matter falling under provincial responsibility. After a constitutional amendment was agreed to by all of the provinces, a reference to "Unemployment Insurance" was added to the matters falling under federal authority under theConstitution Act, 1867, and the first Canadian system was adopted in 1940. Because of these problems Canada was the last major Western country to bring in an employment insurance system.
All provinces maintain a low-income-support program known by names such as "social assistance", "income support", "income assistance" and "welfare assistance"; popularly they are known aswelfare (French:le bien-être social orl'aide sociale).[10] Likein the United States,welfare in Canada colloquially refers to direct payments to low-income individuals only, and not to healthcare and education spending.[2] Moreover, in Canadian slang,welfare is also sometimes referred to as 'the dole' or 'pogey'.
The purpose of these programs is to alleviate extreme poverty by providing a monthly payment to people with little or no income. The rules for eligibility and the amount given vary widely between the provinces. This program was created in the 1940s, and in Quebec in 1958. The original plan was for Ottawa to pay half of the financial support for families and the other half paid by each of the provinces.[11]
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Most Canadian seniors are eligible forOld Age Security, a taxable monthly social security payment. In addition, most former workers can receiveCanada Pension Plan orQuebec Pension Plan benefits based on their contributions during their careers. As well many people have a private pension through their employer, although that is becoming less common, and many people take advantage of a government tax-shelter for investments called aRegistered Retirement Savings Plan or may save money privately.
Usually each province has a department or ministry in charge ofchild welfare and dealing with adoption, foster care, etc. As of 2007[update] the federal government also offers theUniversal Child Care Benefit to subsidize the cost ofdaycare spots or other forms ofchildcare.[12]
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Each province is responsible fordisability welfare:
The government has several agencies dedicated to developing specific regions.
Social welfare in Canada.
Social welfare in Canada.
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