"We have to define and put into practice a better, more coherent and effective policy on income security"
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The call to define and implement a better, more coherent, and effective policy on income security captures a pragmatic ideal: social programs should be understandable, integrated, and judged by outcomes. Coming from Kim Campbell, Canada’s 19th prime minister and a Progressive Conservative who led during the turbulence of the early 1990s, it reflects a blend of compassion with administrative discipline. The early 1990s brought recession, high unemployment, and fiscal strain, exposing how fragmented benefits, split across federal and provincial governments, created gaps and disincentives. Coherence, in this sense, is not a slogan but an institutional demand: align programs so they do not work at cross-purposes, reduce bureaucratic friction, and make eligibility rules consistent and predictable.
Income security spans unemployment insurance, pensions, child benefits, disability supports, and social assistance. When these programs clash or pile on, people can face benefit cliffs, confusing paperwork, and long delays just when stability is most needed. A coherent policy would smooth transitions between work, training, and caregiving; coordinate supports so aid follows people rather than administrative silos; and ensure automatic enrollment where possible to reduce exclusion.
Effectiveness asks a harder question: does the system reduce poverty, stabilize incomes through shocks, and improve long-term outcomes such as health, education, and participation in the labor market? That requires clear goals, transparent metrics, and willingness to redesign or combine programs when evidence demands it. Better, finally, acknowledges that the status quo is not fixed; it can be modernized through pilots, data-sharing, targeted supplements, or even broader tools like guaranteed basic income where appropriate.
The statement remains urgent amid precarious work, housing costs, and technological disruption. Without coherence, policy becomes a patchwork. Without effectiveness, it becomes theater. Defining and putting a better design into practice is a call to rebuild the social contract so that security is a platform for opportunity, not a maze to navigate.
Income security spans unemployment insurance, pensions, child benefits, disability supports, and social assistance. When these programs clash or pile on, people can face benefit cliffs, confusing paperwork, and long delays just when stability is most needed. A coherent policy would smooth transitions between work, training, and caregiving; coordinate supports so aid follows people rather than administrative silos; and ensure automatic enrollment where possible to reduce exclusion.
Effectiveness asks a harder question: does the system reduce poverty, stabilize incomes through shocks, and improve long-term outcomes such as health, education, and participation in the labor market? That requires clear goals, transparent metrics, and willingness to redesign or combine programs when evidence demands it. Better, finally, acknowledges that the status quo is not fixed; it can be modernized through pilots, data-sharing, targeted supplements, or even broader tools like guaranteed basic income where appropriate.
The statement remains urgent amid precarious work, housing costs, and technological disruption. Without coherence, policy becomes a patchwork. Without effectiveness, it becomes theater. Defining and putting a better design into practice is a call to rebuild the social contract so that security is a platform for opportunity, not a maze to navigate.
Quote Details
| Topic | Equality |
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