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Ensuring Public Accountability
Did you know?
- Federal spending on social programs has decreased by $3.35 billion
in the last ten years, while health spending has gone up by $1.29 billion.
Yet research clearly shows that strong social programs can actually prevent poor health:
so investing in social programs will save money for the health care system.
- As of the 1st of April, 2004, with the new Canada Social Transfer, there is no
longer any obligation to track how the monies transferred by the federal government to the
provinces, for social programs, are spent.
- The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child criticized Canada
in 2003 for the lack of a systematic national mechanism for monitoring how Canada’s
children are doing.
What can be done?
- Engage the public in a national debate on the future of Canada’s social programs,
similar to the comprehensive dialogue in which Canadians were involved by the Romanow
Commission on the future of health care in this country.
- Strengthen Canada’s social programs by including in the Canada Social Transfer a set
of guiding principles on social spending, measures to ensure predictability of funding
levels and provisions for tracking how the money is spent.
- The voluntary/NGO sector has been tracking and reporting for decades
on how Canada measures up. Provide assistance to the voluntary/NGO sector to enhance
their existing capacities for tracking and reporting on how children, families, communities
and governments are doing in living up to Canada’s international commitments to support children,
youth and their families.
Ask the questions...
- Will your party ensure that Canada’s social programs will be protected from further cuts?
- Does your party support having basic principles for Canada’s social programs
and for the Canada Social Transfer, like those we already have in the Canada Health Act.
- Will your party ensure that Canada honours its international commitments to children,
especially the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, by supporting independent
monitoring of and reporting on those commitments?
On to Conclusion
Meeting Basic Needs
Reaching Potential
Supporting Aboriginal Children and Youth
Promoting Healthy Active Living
Conclusion
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