The Emergence of Social Security in Canada has become a standard text in social work and related courses in post-secondary institutions across Canada. It is the first and most detailed history of Canadian social security from colonial times to the present.

This book analyzes the major influences shaping the Canadian welfare state. A central trend in Canadian social security over most of the twentieth century has been a shift from a “residual” to an “institutional” concept. The residual approach, which dominated until the Second World War, posited that the causes of poverty and joblessness were to be found within individuals and were best remedied by personal initiative and reliance on the private market. However, the dramatic changes brought about by the Great Depression and the Second World War resulted in the rise of an institutional approach to social security. Poverty and joblessness began to be viewed as the results of systemic failure, and the public began to demand that governments take action to establish front-rank institutions guaranteeing a level of protection against the common risks to livelihood. Thus, the foundations of the Canadian welfare state were established. The Emergence of Social Security in Canada is both an important historical resource and an engrossing tale in its own right, and it will be of great interest to anyone concerned about Canadian social policy.

Dennis T. Guest's profile page

Dennis Guest, now retired, was for many years a professor in the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia.

Although Canada spends 12 per cent of its Gross National Product on health and social welfare, this book represents our first historical overview of how this came about. For that reason alone it is a very welcome contribution. The author traces the evolution of responses to poverty from pre-Confederation poor relief to the failed attempt to develop a guaranteed annual income in the 1970’s. Although his narrative is comprehensive and coherent, the system he describes is not.

The Canadian Historical Review

Indispensable as background … a proficient and superb chronicle.

Canada Public Policy

Should be mandatory reading for those interested in social policy.

Canadian Public Administration