For Immediate Release
September 19, 2012
Given the onslaught of legislative changes and policy decisions impacting social programs from coast to coast to coast, the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) federation adopted “Social Workers Defending Social Programs for a Stronger Canada" as its 2012-13 theme to guide efforts in advocating for social justice.
CASW is seriously concerned at the pace in which the Government of Canada is reshaping national social programs and services as well as with the unilateral renewal of the Canadian Social Transfer at 3% with no dialogue on accountability or impact. CASW is also troubled that changes to Employment Insurance and Old Age Security in the 2012-13 federal budget will hurt the people who least can afford it: low-income Canadians and their families.
“Of particular concern to social workers is that evidence based research in policy development as well as national leadership in developing accountability and equity between the provinces and territories for delivery of social services has seemingly been abandoned by the Government of Canada” notes Morel Caissie, CASW President.
As noted in its Pre-Budget submission, CASW deems the current situation of federal restraint as an overstated crisis compounded by maintaining a schedule of corporate tax cuts that have not realized their predicated benefit. The Government of Canada has clearly chosen failed trickle-down economics over substantive investments to support the equality of opportunity for all Canadians.
“It is our hope that as the Parliament of Canada moves forward with its new fall session that any proposed changes further affecting Canada’s social programs will be dealt with outside of another unwieldy and autocratic omnibus budget bill” states Caissie. “From our perspective there is a failure of accountability on many levels, and this must be addressed if we are to build a stronger Canada.”
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For more information:
Fred Phelps, MSW, RSW
casw@casw-acts.ca