1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910783748003321

Autore

Campeau Georges

Titolo

From UI to EI : waging war on the welfare state / / Georges Campeau ; translated by Richard Howard

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Vancouver : , : UBC Press, , 2004

ISBN

0-7748-5132-5

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (xiii, 235 pages)

Collana

Law and society, , 1496-4953

Altri autori (Persone)

HowardRichard <1940->

Disciplina

368.4/4/00971

Soggetti

Unemployment insurance - Canada - History

Unemployment insurance - Law and legislation - Canada

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Translation of: De l'assurance-chômage à l'assurance-emploi.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front Matter -- Contents -- Acronyms -- Introduction -- Why UI? -- The British Act of 1911 -- Developing a Canadian System -- The UI Act of 1940 -- UI Expansion, 1940-75 -- Vision under Siege, 1975-88 -- Rights Enshrined in Case Law, 1940-90 -- The System Hijacked, 1989-96 -- Onward to EI -- Case Law in the Neoliberal Riptide of the 1990s -- Conclusion -- Epilogue -- Notes -- Selected Bibliography -- Index -- Law and Society

Sommario/riassunto

Established in 1940 in response to the Great Depression, the original goal of Canada's system of unemployment insurance was to ensure the protection of income to the unemployed. Joblessness was viewed as a social problem and the jobless as its unfortunate victims. If governments could not create the right conditions for full employment, they were obligated to compensate people who could not find work. While unemployment insurance expanded over several decades to the benefit of the rights of the unemployed, the mid-1970s saw the first stirrings of a counterattack as the federal government's Keynesian strategy came under siege. Neo-liberalists denounced unemployment insurance and other aspects of the welfare state as inflationary and unproductive. Employment was increasingly thought to be a personal responsibility and the handling of the unemployed was to reflect a free-market approach. This regressive movement culminated in the 1990s counter-reforms, heralding a major policy shift. The number of unemployed with access to benefits was halved during that time. From



UI to EI examines the history of Canada's unemployment insurance system and the rights it grants to the unemployed. The development of the system, its legislation, and related jurisprudence are viewed through a historical perspective that accounts for the social, political, and economic context. Campeau critically examines the system with emphasis upon its more recent transformations. This book will interest professors and students of law, political science, and social work, and anyone concerned about the right of the unemployed to adequate protection.