What is meant by diversity?
The characteristics of individuals such as race, culture, ability, age, gender, and sexual orientation.
More importantly, in the context of social policy, it refers to diversified ideas.
How are different groups treated in social policy?
They are treated like categories.
How does the term diversity relate to social policy?
It reflects the reality that diverse groups in Canada occupy different statuses and social locations in relation to the state and its policies.
What is the purpose of recognizing diversity for individuals?
From an individual perspective, each person should be treated equally and has a right to achieve his or her aspirations.
What is the purpose of recognizing diversity for society?
A society formed by diverse individuals is:
a) more productive
b) more stable
c) more sustainable
d) most importantly has less risk of becoming a hegemony
Kallen speaks of “diverse groups” and addresses which areas?
a) the social stratification of society with unequal group relations
b) the human rights perspective based on ‘universal’ ideas of equality and social justice
c) the tensions between individual and community rights and how these tensions might be resolved through a human rights approach based on a view of the common humanity of all rather than on any on single attribute of a person or group
Which two British traditions have influenced Canadian Social Policy, and how so?
- The British Poor Laws–created the notion of deserving and undeserving poor
- Social Darwinism–justified oppression, influenced immigration policies and created a need for anti-discriminatory policies and protections
What is “familism”, and how does it impact policy?
Familism is a belief that strong families ensure a stable society. However, there is no coherent family policy, so there are contradictions among various levels of gov’t. and policies.
During the 1980s, criticism of social policy and demands for its change were voiced by what kind of groups?
Interest groups: cultural, racial, gender, and other identities
What kind of shift did these interest groups demand, and what were they challenging?
A shift in ideology–they were challenging the notion of equal and accessible policy.
What did the 1982 Charter of Rights and Freedoms do?
It brought new attention to rights.
The Charter entrenches the rights of 3 groups differentially, but hierarchically. Which 3 groups are they?
- The group with the most protection are considered “founding peoples”, who are mainly French and English.
- Indigenous peoples
- Ethnic minorities that are not specifically named
What types of rights are these 3 groups given?
- Positive rights that obligate the state (i.e. protection of Catholic and Protestant educational rights, language rights)
- Collective rights, which are non-interference or negative rights (i.e. right to self-governance, right to preservation of lands and culture)
- Negative, unspecified and undefined rights
What were state interventions designed to do?
Redress specific inequalities (class, income level and source, age, family type) and to mitigate poverty arising from problems with the market-state.
What 2 principles were early social policies based on?
- Ensuring that vulnerable populations did not fall below an established quality-of-life level (LICO: low-income cut-off)
- Acting to effect some redistribution of wealth from those with sufficient resources to those in need
Who was Canada’s immigration policy restricted to until 1967?
“Preferred” Nations
What happened to Canada’s immigration policy in 1967?
A new liberalized policy came into effect that focused on individual immigrants rather than source country.
What is the 1988 legislation that was a response to the population changes that resulted from the new immigration policies, what does it do and what is its limitation?
The Act for the Preservation and Enhancement of Multiculturalism in Canada, recognized diversity as a basic characteristic of Canada and promoted participation of people of all origins in Canadian society. It provided an ideal espoused by society rather than a guarantee of rights.
What does Kallen say about guaranteed rights?
Even guaranteed rights are stratified for various groups of Canadian citizens and residents, with immigrants near the bottom.
What is one major change in recent immigration policies, and how?
Source countries–changed from mostly European to Asian/African/South American/Caribbean.
What is an important change in immigration patterns?
The classes of immigrants now arriving. They used to be predominantly “family class”, and now are mainly “economic class”.
What does “family class” and “economic class” mean?
- Family class: sponsored by relatives already established in the country
- Economic class: demonstrating the required skills, education, work history or money
What does the “third force” of immigrants mean, and how do they impact policy?
Immigrants who come from different cultural backgrounds and speak different languages that either of the 2 “founding” groups. They bring different social policy issues into the fore.
How does the federal government control immigration?
They set policy determining class and level of immigration.
