Written Submission for the Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the Upcoming Federal Budget 2026
By: Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW)
September 2026
- Recommendation 1: That the government amends federal policies and legislation to include social workers as Public Safety Personnel (PSP)
- Recommendation 2: That the government reverse all the implemented co-payments under the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) to restore access to preventive, primary, mental health and trauma‑informed care for eligible refugees and refugee claimants.
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Recommendation 3: That the government invest in a social work sector study to support health human resource planning
CASW is a federation of professionals whose work is woven into the everyday social and financial realities of people and communities across Canada. These voices call on the federal government to target support toward social and health infrastructure that strengthen community safety, enable stable participation in the labour market, broaden economic opportunity, and build a resilient, inclusive national economy.
CASW acknowledges that this federal government has taken important steps to respond to mounting pressures on households, from housing to the broader cost of living, and has moved forward with national initiatives such as affordable childcare, the Canadian Disability Benefit, and the Canadian Dental Care Plan. It has also articulated strategic directions that emphasize sovereignty, efficiency, and effectiveness, and has signalled a commitment to securing Canada’s place in a rapidly changing global landscape through investment in research, innovation, and technology.
As these commitments are implemented, across Canada, social workers are witnessing the human impact of economic volatility, rising costs, and deepening political divisions on individuals, families, and communities. Their daily practice exposes the widening gap between people’s basic needs and the supports available, especially for refugees, refugee claimants, and other people facing precarious status and multiple forms of exclusion.
As a profession deeply rooted in a strong code of ethics, social workers are compelled to intervene when policy choices may deepen harm. CASW urges the federal government to strengthen social and health infrastructure, protect access to care for people at risk, and bolster measures that stabilize communities rather than shifting costs and crises further downstream. In times of urgent need, policy choices must be intensely scrutinized to ensure that the results match the promise. Policy choices that promise to reduce or contain costs must not push burdens onto individuals, communities, and provincial and territorial systems. When this occurs, needs intensify, crises will emerge, and problems will escalate into more acute situations requiring far more costly interventions.
Now is the time to create the conditions, including permanent structures, to facilitate success and, importantly, to ascertain whether success has been achieved. To align with the federal government’s core goals of keeping communities safe, and building one strong Canadian economy, CASW recommends strategic spending in the following:
Recommendation 1
That the government amends federal policies and legislation to include social workers as Public Safety Personnel (PSP) which would include them in federally supported research, prevention, treatment and family supports.
In 2020, the Government of Canada announced a national action plan for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). CASW supported a renewed commitment to the Action Plan as well as the significant funding focused on researching and implementing evidence informed prevention and treatment of PTSD for public safety personnel (PSP). However, CASW is concerned that social workers are not included in the Government’s definition of PSP.
Although the Government of Canada’s plans were informed by consultations, social workers do not appear in the list of witnesses who informed the foundation of subsequent plans or investment. This exclusion hinders the Government’s ability to fulfill its mandate for public safety because it contradicts Operational Stress Injury (OSI) research about social workers as well as evidence demonstrating the vital role of social workers in public safety.
Currently PSP are defined as firefighters, police officers, paramedics, correctional officers, public safety communications personnel, operational and intelligence personnel, border services officers, and Indigenous emergency managers. Most of Canada’s public safety personnel identify as men and most social workers identify as women.
Despite the Government of Canada’s commitment to a Gender Based Analysis Plus and acknowledgement that “social workers, and other health care providers witness trauma, pain, suffering, and/or death on a regular basis in their work to care for the health of individuals, families, and communities”, social workers remain excluded from the research and benefits afforded to other PSP covered in the framework. Excluding social workers from Canada’s definition of PSP, contributes to an existing gender bias and is incongruent with GBA Plus.
Social workers are embedded into emergency, first and trauma response interventions, such as policing, and therefore encounter acute and chronic trauma alongside other first responders. Significantly, social workers are faced with high-risk situations where their actions impact the life, health and safety of Canadians; these Canadians are often the most vulnerable people including children, seniors, victims of violence, people from marginalized communities and people at risk of suicide.
Social workers are often the first to respond and investigate situations of extreme physical, sexual and psychological abuse. In these circumstances social workers frequently are called upon to complete emergency investigations, often without the accompaniment of law enforcement.
CASW acknowledges this government’s commitment to evidence informed policy and therefore highlights the importance of research that consistently demonstrates the significant human and economic benefits of social work. A promise to public safety without social workers does not align with either human or economic strategies.
Additionally, research indicates that demand for mental health support continues to exceed supply. Canada faces a shortage of mental health professionals, such as social workers, who have the training, credentials, and specialized expertise to provide trauma-sensitive programming. Without supporting social workers’ mental health, Canada undermines its ability to provide effective trauma responses, not only for PSP, but also for their families. Keeping communities safe means recognizing social workers as integral to crisis response and frontline mental health support. This investment decreases burnout and absenteeism among key staff, strengthens communities' capacity to manage emergencies, and fosters safer, more resilient environments for all Canadians.
Recommendation 2
That the government eliminate all the recently implemented IFHP co‑payments to restore access to preventive, primary, mental health and trauma‑informed care for eligible refugees and refugee claimants. This protection avoids deteriorating health, downloading costs and administrative burden onto provinces, territories, frontline providers and community‑based non‑profit organizations.
It’s commendable that in August, the Government of Canada reversed of some of the short-sighted IFHB co‑payments. However, all remaining changes must be repealed immediately to protect lives and prevent health professionals from direct conflict with their ethical obligations.
For refugees, delayed care often means worsened chronic conditions, untreated trauma, deteriorating mental health, preventable emergency department use, and greater reliance on crisis-driven social interventions. These outcomes are a direct violation of Canada’s commitment to safeguarding vulnerable populations.
Evidence provided by CASW in correspondence to the government as well as reliable refugee health research indicates that co‑payments will not deliver net fiscal savings; they primarily deter early, lower‑cost care and push needs into more expensive emergency and crisis services funded by provincial health and social systems. Eliminating IFHP co‑payments is not only a humanitarian measure but also a budget‑efficiency measure: it reduces avoidable downstream costs, supports system stability, and keeps federally funded coverage focused on cost‑effective, community‑based care rather than crisis‑driven interventions.
This approach also respects jurisdictional roles by preventing unfunded cost‑shifting to provinces and local providers, and by ensuring that federal policy changes do not create uncompensated administrative work for already stretched health, settlement, and community organizations. Restoring the previous level of access to preventive and mental health services for refugees and refugee claimants reduces the likelihood that untreated needs will surface later in more acute, costly settings managed by hospitals, provincial systems, and emergency social services. The restored coverage of previously cut supports will help only a small number of people in need. Advocates, researchers and practitioners know that when essential support is unavailable, patients remain unwell. This means that they may be hospitalized for longer because discharge is delayed due to missing support leading to increasing costs and deteriorating health.
Recommendation 3
That the government provide funding for a social work sector study to complement ongoing health human resource planning.
Registered Social Workers (RSW) serve in a myriad of essential roles in our communities: from hospitals to mental health, to child welfare, to primary health care, to substance use. As integral members of interdisciplinary health care teams, a sector study is required to ensure that the professional social work workforce can meet Canada’s growing health and social needs moving forward.
The three pillars of the social work profession, the Canadian Council of Social Work Regulation (CCSWR), Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE) and the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) are in consensus that a comprehensive sector study is essential and are ready to work collaboratively with the Government of Canada to realize this initiative.
The last social work sector study, released in 2000, In Critical Demand: Social Work in Canada explored issues and demographics within the social services sector to support the development of a long-term human resources strategy. Now, more than ever, a social work human resources strategy is essential to improve the Canadian health and social system.
Canada’s health care system continues to face staffing shortages resulting in immense strain on the continuum of care. While this government recognizes the severity of the health human resources crisis and Health Canada has prioritized the need for data related to health human resources, CASW urges that allied professions, particularly social work, be meaningfully integrated into a response. At present, the lack of comprehensive data hinders effective planning to this pressing challenge.
There is little current data about the scale and scope of social workers in different practice areas across Canada. Key demographic, labour market and education/training information is needed. Social workers provide services in a variety of settings, including primary health care, to help Canadians attain physical and mental well-being. To ensure that the social work workforce has the capacity to meet the current and projected needs of Canadians, it is essential to conduct a comprehensive social work sector study as part of health human resource planning.
Social workers are Canada’s most numerous and versatile mental health practitioners; there are just under 20,000 psychologists, 11,000 counselling therapists/psychotherapists, 6,500 psychiatric nurses, and 60,000 social workers in Canada. With their broad scope of practice, social workers are regulated, accountable, highly trained professionals able to provide many of the same services (and more) as these professions.
Further, research demonstrates that the social work profession is strongly dominated by women and social workers from equity denied groups. Service users often prefer, and report better health and social outcomes when they receive services from a practitioner from the same demographic background. A social work sector study is important from an equity perspective because it will bolster support to social workers from equity denied groups and inform the social work needs of equity denied groups.
A health human resources plan must include social workers to enhance the effective deployment of social workers across domains and regions. A robust, well-planned social work workforce is crucial to supporting economic growth, labour market participation, and healthy, thriving communities nationwide.
About CASW
The Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) is the national professional association for social work in Canada. Founded in 1926, CASW is a national federation composed of 10 partner organizations in the provinces and territories and a national office.
- ^https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/documents/services/publications/diseases-conditions/federal-framework-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-report-parliament-2025/federal-framework-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-report-parliament-2025.pdf
- ^Public Safety Canada GBA Plus
- ^University of Toronto PTSD and Social Workers
- ^https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/federal-framework-post-traumatic-stress-disorder.html#s1-3 p8
- ^ Stephenson, Marylee, Gilles Rondeau, Jean Claude Michaud, and Sid Fiddler. “In Critical Demand: Social Work in Canada Volume 1- Final Report.” 2000, Canadian Association of Social Workers. https://www.casw-acts.ca/files/attachements/in_critical_demand_social_work_in_canada_volume_1_pages_1-24_.pdf
- ^https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/health-system-services/ethical-framework-recruitment-retention-internationally-educated-health-professionals.html
- ^ Data from CIHI’s Health Workforce in Canada, 2017 to 2021: Overview — Data Tables: https://www.cihi.ca/sites/default/files/document/health-workforce-canada-2017-2021-overview-data-tables-en.xlsx
- ^University of Toronto PTSD and Social Workers