Summary:
The upcoming Throne Speech affords a prime opportunity to make progress on the social policy front, especially with another massive surplus being banked in Ottawa. The growing gap between rich and poor is a powerful symptom of the web of social problems that cry out for effective social policies. The federal government has the means to finance initiatives that will combat poverty, reduce inequality and improve the quality of life for the most vulnerable citizens. This paper discusses the following key social policy proposals:
- raising the value of the Canada Child Tax Benefit to a maximum $5,000 per child
- doubling the value and raising the eligibility threshold of the Working Income Tax Benefit
- investing with provincial and territorial counterparts in the supply of high-quality child care
- creating a new federal program to extend the income guarantees currently available to the elderly to those with severe disabilities
- working with provinces and territories to use their resulting savings to build a comprehensive system of supports for persons with disabilities
- establishing a national clearinghouse to support work on respite for caregivers
- announcing a Crime Prevention Initiative to invest in three protective factors: positive early childhood development, literacy proficiency and school completion
- creating a First Nations Regional Education Authority Act to raise the quality of education and help achieve high school completion targets
- introducing new fiscal instruments to bring more venture capital to the social economy
- working with provincial and territorial counterparts and with local governments to devise a new financing arrangement for municipalities.