Milestone

First Upper Canada

Statute

Charity Aid Act – Upper Canada

Confederation

First Distinct Government Role in Poverty Alleviation

First Mothers Allowance

First Social Assistance Rates

(Direct Cash Relief)

First Nutrition Standards in assistance to poor

Canada Assistance   Plan

Report of the Social Assistance Review Committee

Poverty Reduction Strategy

Date

1792

1836

1867

1889

1920

1932

1943

1967

1988

2008

Significance

No Poor Law in Upper Canada

No government  responsibility for poor or poverty

First public declaration of public responsibility of poor assigned to Churches and charity

Clarification of Provincial responsibility for issues related to poverty and civil rights

Call for assumption of public administration of relief to poor as opposed to Gov’t funding in support of charities or churches

First cash assistance specifically aimed at poverty reduction (6 years after Workers’ Compensation for selected target group (1914)

Led to 1935 Unemployment Relief Act where governments mandated to meet needs of all poor for the first time

First public assistance rates based on nutritional standards of Need – led to 43 annual SPC Guides to Family Budgeting

First Canada wide cost sharing of public assistance with Canada wide standards

Widely seen as most comprehensive review of social assistance in Ontario and Canada

First Targets and measures in Legislation

Annual reporting etc.

Report

Law – proclaims Upper Canada as government.

Law

BNA Act s.91&92

British North America Act of 1867

Goldwin Smith: Social Problems: An Address delivered to the Combined City Charities; 1889

(Toronto)

“Mothers Allowance: An Investigation” by W.R Riddell & Margaret Kirkpatrick Strong

Wallace Campbell:

“Provincial Policy on Administrative Methods in the Matter of Direct Relief in Ontario”

Royal Commission

Report of Dr. E.W. McHenry, U of T School of Hygiene

Report of Food Allowances for Relief Recipients in Ontario,  U of T, 1943

Law:

Family Benefits and General Welfare Assistance

Transitions

(Judge George Thomson )

Back on Track, Time for Action,

PMSSR, Turning Point

Spinoff reports

Breaking the Cycle

Primary Sources or Authors

Richard Splane, History of Social Welfare in Ontario 1791-1893, University of Toronto, 1965.

Clifford Williams, Decades of Service, History of the Ministry of Community and Social Services, 1984. James Struthers, The Limits of Affluence, Welfare in Ontario, 1920-1970, University of Toronto 1994 Press Margaret Hillyard Little, No car, No radio, No Liquor Permit, p.191-197.; Stapleton & Laframboise, The Campbell Report, 2005

n/a

Comment

“That nothing in this Act shall…introduce any of the laws of England respecting maintenance of the poor”

First Buildings in 1837 - Following Rebellion and Lord Durham Report, Toronto inaugurates first House of Industry in 1848 – Façade at Elizabeth & Elm in Toronto dates from  1837 and 1848

Clarification of provincial role to alleviate poverty within Confederation

Led to first public assistance ‘worker’ (relieving Officer) in Toronto in 1893

Mothers (widows only) paid $55 a month in Toronto if they had at least two children, British subject and were “fit mothers”

Campbell’s rates of cash relief formed framework for Croll’s  mandate to pay cash relief

16,000 recipients remained on assistance in 1943 after over 300,000 received help in 1930’s –led to Mothers Allowance Increases

First standards across Canada – no residency requirement – assets, earnings  

First Report to call for Child Benefits outside of welfare, reduced role of social assistance,

First Report to set legislative targets and measures for the alleviation of poverty.

Key Leader(s)

Lt. Gov John Graves Simcoe

Sir Francis Bond Head

John S. Macdonald, first Premier of Ontario, John A MacDonald, P.M.

Sir Oliver Mowat, Premier

United Farmers of Ontario (UFO)

Nellie McClung

Agnes McPhail

Minister David Croll implemented Campbell report under Hepburn

Dr. Percy Vivian Minister, George Drew, Premier

Minister John Yaremko, Deputy James Band

Minister John Sweeney

Premier David Peterson

Deb Matthews, Premier Mc Guinty

Rationale

-Utopian

- Centralist

-feared capacity of government to fulfill

-Pressure of British Reform of Poor Law of 1834

-WL Mackenzie led 1837 rebellion in part to counter adoption of English Laws of any sort.

National Government – separation of powers –Federal gov’t did not have income tax until 1917.

State – municipal role in administration which did not occur before 1893

Influenza, war return, suffragettes, munitions widows with no pensions.

Firing of civil servants with Conservative membership, municipal bankruptcy

Different caseload of 16,000 people – concern for nutrition & vitamins

Federal role in public assistance rationalization of services & programs

Welfare unpopular but public saw as inadequate.

OCB in place

Ontario public opinion.

Reason for inclusion in milestones

Clear non-responsibility of state for poverty; Upper Canada only

First legislative statement in Upper Canada of responsibility to fund anti-poverty 44 years after Simcoe Law in 1792

Clarification of Provincial responsibility Constitutionally for poverty-related programs

First successful call for direct state intervention in poverty reduction

First direct cash relief for poverty issue of individuals that was not related to war effort.

First legislative call for direct cash relief to all poor – 1935 – first time in legislation

First evidence-based link of direct cash to nutrition needs of poor

First agreement of provinces with national rules for cash assistance -

National standards

First report calling for comprehensive approach for poverty and reduced role of social assistance

First time a Canadian government provides targets and measures to reduce poverty in legislation after largest market crash in history.|