Co-Cooperative Federalism In Canada

The story Barbara Ehrenreich provides throughout her novel, Nickel and Dimed has been critical to the study of political ideologies within our society, from the date it was published in 2001 to today. The political implications of poverty in our society is crucial to understanding when looking through a social development lense. There are many ideological political routes to take to help mitigate or resolve the poverty issues within the country, which can be looked at through social policies and social development. Ehrenreich provides a qualitative research analysis into the life of those living in poverty through a covert field research perspective. The welfare state has always been a controversial topic within Canada, throughout the rise and fall of it all. However, this book outlines some of the key concerns surrounding the welfare state which could help those in power have a more qualitative understanding.

In Canadian governments, every province holds its own political power and obligation in different levels and types of provincial programs and social services such as healthcare, workers’ compensation, education, early childhood education and care (ECEC). Across Canada, provinces and territories governments legislate with regards to ECEC with relevant regulations, funding, policies and programs to assure safety in young children’s learning environment (Senate Canada, 2009). Uniquely, unlike other provinces and territories, the government of Quebec provides access to universal childcare program to all families with children under the age of 5 regardless of parental income, employment and marital status (Lefebvre, Merrigan & Verstraete, 2009). Ever since the program was introduced in 1997, it became a role model for the rest of the Canadian provinces with respects to providing equal opportunities and decisions on ECEC rather than targeting specific groups to obtain the service.

In the article, “Parting at the Crossroads: The Development of Health Insurance in Canada and the United States” the author Antonia Maioni argues various points as to why Canada and the United States of America have such different approaches to targeting the healthcare system. The topics covered by Maioni included, “Health Reform in Canada: The Role of the CCF-NDP”. Here Maioni discuses in great detail, the historical background to how Canada got to where they are in the health system through the ups and downs that occurred in Parliament due to “the public demand for action on medical insurance” which was influenced by the highly successful medical insurance program that existed in Saskatchewan post-world war. It goes to show, that the passing

After 11 consecutive years of being in power, the Conservative Party led by Mr. steven harper which believed in individual responsibility economically have been defeated during the election. They were defeated by the Liberal Party led by Mr.Justin Trudeau The Liberal Party believe the government has responsibility for helping families, individuals, and communities who have economic difficulties. They also believe in creating social programs that support the communities such as the welfare system. It is a system that gives money to people

According to the National Council of Welfare, The majority of those who rely on social assistance in Canada tend to be women, children and people with disabilities, it is noted that government policy focus on getting them into the paid workforce without adequate supports such as childcare, housing, and money for basic expenses, these policies are considered to be unrealistic and create much misery for the Canadians that are forced to live under these policies (Women, 2007). According to Census 2000, the average annual pre-tax income of women from all sources including government transfers was $22,885 or 62% that of what men receive. In Canada, female lone parent families have by far the lowest average total incomes among families. Although women continue to be among the poorest of the poor in Canada, they make up a disproportionate share of the population with low income 2.4 million women in 2001 compared to 1.9 million men (Work, 2004).

The political elites also acknowledged that it would be in their best interests to respond to group demands. Barker’s second contention states that provinces can provide the best quality health care according to their demographics and socioeconomic factors. For example, Saskatchewan primarily utilizes its federal grants for a community-based approach of providing health care such rehabilitation services while Ontario primarily invests in effective hospital care. Through a pluralist approach, Barker argues that various interest groups exist that want to play a role in the decision making of national programs to meet their own needs and therefore diversities can be best accommodated when provinces lead social programs.

Canada as a country was founded on the constitutional premise of federalism, a governmental system in which the federal and provincial governments are equal and separate entities together in political coalition. Quebec joined Confederation in 1867 on the constitutional promise of equality. French-speaking Canadians were assured provincial control of their social programs, health, and education. The premise of shared sovereignty acknowledged the variation between distinct peoples in Canada and their particular political culture’s. On May 14th, 1980 former Liberal Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Elliott Trudeau delivered his final speech in his campaign against former Quebec Premier, Rene Levesque’s referendum on separation from Canada.

Federalism is an issue that has been very prevalent in American politics since the writing of the constitution up until today. Balancing national and state power was a strongly contested issue back when the Anti-federalists were arguing with the Federalists over which section should have more power. This led to the inclusion of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution in order to give the states and the people more rights than they were originally provided. However, the issue is still not resolved and the issue has led to huge conflicts in the nation like the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. Today, people continue to debate over whether the state governments or the national government should have more power.

Republicans oppose these policies and favor states to take responsibility on issues like child labor, education and social security with Medicare

To have a strategic advantage one must be willing to go against the status quo in making decisions. Cooperative federalism will continue to be important in solving problems national problems by establishing principles and boundaries. Individual state governments have evolved throughout American history in response to political needs and partisan and ideological belief systems. They protect the infringement of civil rights and liberties of its citizens, greater than that of the federal constitution putting more vested power in state legislatures and less within executive authority. The original thirteen colonies of the U.S. recognized by the Articles of Confederation wanted to place power and authority in the hands of a small, privileged class

Intergovernmental relations were created to make recommendations for the solution of problems involving federal and state government. Therefore IGR is a valuable part in public services, along with public professionals who are dedicated to the issues in our local, state and federal system. In order for us to understand the process of cooperative to opportunistic federalism, it is essential to understand each individual concept. Cooperative federalism is the cooperation of two governments in order to help each other grow and accomplishing all popular demands. Cooperative federalism can also be the authority that a larger part of government, such as federal, has over smaller parts of government, such as the states, in order to follow and implement

soon may be thought that the cases he allows to proceed are cases brought with his consent or approval. If there is the power which my noble and learned friends think there is to stop a prosecution on indictment in limine, it is in my view a power that should only be exercised in the most exceptional circumstances.

Canadian politics has always been defined by the federal government’s interactions with the various regions and provinces within Canada. Over time, Canadian politics has evolved to be focused on three individual issues: the federal government’s attempt to keep Quebec within the federation, the economic, political, and cultural dominance of Ontario, and, from a Western Canadian point of view, the subordination of the West. The popularity of the latter notion has become increasingly prominent within the Western provinces over the previous decades, due to the government’s focus on the former two issues. And, for many Western Canadians, their relationship with the federal government has largely been defined around Ottawa’s refusal

Rice, J. J., & Prince, M. J. (2013). Changing politics of Canadian social policy. University of Toronto Press.

With the voting in of the federal Liberals in 2015, the policy context in Canada is once again shifting, creating a window for social planning to reestablish itself as a critical component of Canada’s policy landscape. Positioning itself as a key partner in the maintenance and creation of strong Canadian communities, the new federal government and many provincial governments appear to recognize the role social planning can play in forwarding democratic ideals and are setting the stage for a “merging of a concern for social and economic equality with a commitment to reducing public