Federalism, Democracy and Disability Policy in Canada

Book excerpt: The 1999 signing of the Social Union Framework Agreement, the elimination of government deficits, and an apparent trend to decentralisation have increased the focus on Canada's social policy and the manner of its formulation. While disability policy, a key element of social policy that is seldom high on the country's policy agenda, is sharing in the renewed interest, no significant disability policy changes have yet emerged.The Social Union and Disability Policy examines the development of Canadian disability policy and the current political landscape that will influence new policy. It offers an agenda for reform of the disability insurance system and for the provision of supports and services for people with disabilities. The focus is on the impact of governance structures, those now in place and those that might be expected to yield improved policy outcomes while promoting the principles of federalism and democratic oversight.Contributors to the volume are academics Michael Prince (University of Victoria), Roy Hanes (Carleton University) and Allan Moscovitch (Carleton University), NGO representative Michael Bach (Roeher Institute) and social policy analysts Marcia Rioux (York University) and Alan Puttee.