Budget 2021: A new social contract?

After a year of the most significant economic and social crisis of our generation, this year’s federal budget is critical — and highly anticipated by many, especially those in social impact. The communities and groups social impact organizations work with are devastated by the pandemic, organizations can’t keep up with the demand for economic and social support on their own, and our current social safety nets aren’t keeping everyone safe.

Will the federal budget catalyze the beginnings of a new Canadian social contract?

If history is a signal, it just might. Overhauls and major additions to Canada’s social safety net have historically taken place during or following times of crisis. The federal government introduced Old Age Security following the First World War. It created Employment Insurance just following the Great Depression, during World War II.