Section 1 Introduction
Completion requirements
Unit 5: Section 1: Working Together
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Section 1 Introduction
Canada has a mixed economy. Individuals and government are both involved in the economy. The extent of government involvement in the economy depends on which political party is in power.
The values and beliefs of a mixed economy encourage individuals to strive for and achieve a high quality standard of living. It is, however, also a belief in a mixed economy that no one should live in poverty, that society has a role to help individuals in need, and, most importantly, that the government has a role in providing a social safety net.
The government collects income and service taxes from Canadians to help support a social safety net for people in need. Because each province and territory has varying needs, the federal government distributes some of this money, called federal transfers, to provinces and territories to help operate social programs.
social safety net: social programs that provide assistance and opportunities; includes health care, pensions for senior citizens, and income assistance for Canadians, especially to those who are disadvantaged
federal transfers: significant amounts of funds collected by the federal government given to provinces and territories to support programs and services
Vocabulary
Add the terms and definitions for social safety net and federal transfers to your Issues for Canadians Definitions handout.
You may want to add to your definitions as your understanding of the words develops.
Save your updated handout to your Activities folder.
Read
To learn more about social programs, read pages 271 and 272 of your textbook, Issues for Canadians.
Social safety net programs or social programs include those programs funded by the government to provide assistance to citizens.
Complete the Social Programs activity by clicking on one of the links below.
Social Programs (Word)
Social Programs (pdf)
Social Programs (Google Doc)
Save your completed work to your Activities folder.
Examine the history of social programs by reading the information in the link below.
Explore when the government developed social programs and services to reduce economic inequalities in society.
Consider the following questions as you read the timeline.
- What events in history have shaped Canada's social programs?
- Are there any programs from which you, your family, senior citizens, or people with a disability may benefit?
In Section 1, you will examine these questions:
- How do economic systems impact political decision-making?
- How do political decisions impact economic systems?
In this section, you will complete the following:
- Section 1 Inquiry
- activities
- assignments
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