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Poverty In Canada

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In 1914, Canadas poverty rate was at a high of approximately twenty percent. At this time in Canada, it did not matter what age you were, either six months or ninety-nine years old the likeliness of being poor were very high. Poverty does not only destroy a person's life, it is crippling to a country its self. Canada was hit hard with poverty, especially during and after the Great Depression and our government knew there was a need for help. Over the past century, the government of Canada has created many different types of social programs.1 These programs implemented Canada have been a big success and have become a very sufficient part in protecting Canadian citizens from the moment of birth to the moment of death. The three main social programs …show more content…

The first social program created to protect Canadians from poverty is family allowances. This program was made for children to guarantee they do not end up in poverty. This was based on the fact that all Canadian children are worthy of public support. Family allowances is a monthly government payment to families with children to help the coast of child maintenances. It was introduced into Canada in 1929 but was reconstructed for better use in around 1945.2 When it was created the average payment for a child monthly was six dollars, which was a lot for that time era in Canada but still not enough. Over the years, the payments given by the government has been increased significantly to ensure that children can have a comfortable life with all the necessities they need. Now family allowances are approximately two hundred to three hundred dollars per child, the amount of …show more content…

This was created for individuals or families who make little to no income, and provides them with money they need to survive. It is a monthly or in some cases a biweekly financial aid that provides help to get the person or family up to better living standards. There are different types of welfare, they assist with covering the cost of things like food, housing, child and medical care, and cash allowance.6 The main goal of this program is to insure that people can go through their life with the necessary needs and proper living obligations. This was created in 1938 right after world war two and has brought our poverty rate down forty percent from the rate it was in the 1930s.7 Over sixty percent of our population is on some sort of government welfare or most likely will be on one at one point in their life. Each different type of welfare program has different rules, eligibility, benefit and provisions regarding special assistance. Throughout the duration of the past seventy years, our government has made it easier to receive this social program, so that Canada can fight off poverty. Without welfare many people would not be able to afford the everyday needs of life and our poverty rate would most likely be increased immensely.8 On that note, this is why welfare is one of the main protection from poverty in

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