Abstracts & Bios Session B 7 Concurrent Sessions Thursday June 16, 2005 4:00 - 5:30 B1. Paper presentations Third sector literature in Canada: A meeting place for the American and European traditions? Yves Vaillancourt, Sébastien Chartrand, Luc Thériault Abstract Based on an on-going research conducted in Quebec and in English-Canada, we will examine the views express by Hodgkinson & Painter (2003) and Evers & Laville (2004) on the place of the American and European traditions in third sector studies. From this starting point, we will argue that the Canadian literature on the third sector can be seen as a hybrid product based on these two traditions. This is because the literature from English-Canada is mostly influenced by the US legacy, while the literature from Quebec is mostly influenced by a European tradition from Belgium and France. To illustrate our point, we will make references to contributions in the areas of social services, child care and housing, and we will contrast the recognition of the “social economy” in Quebec with the implementation of the VSI in English-Canada. Finally, we will comment on the position of the Martin government regarding the social economy. This should enable us to contrast Canadian/Quebec public policies on the third sector. Biographies Yves Vaillancourt is Professor of Social Work at UQAM. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Université de Montréal and is an expert on Social Policy. Director of a research unit (LAREPPS) founded in 1992, he is also a member of a CURA on the Social Economy and of CRISES, a research center on social innovations. Sébastien Chartrand recently completed his Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Stockholm. He has done research on the third sector in Sweden and Germany. He is currently a post-doctoral fellow at LAREPPS and CRISES (UQAM). Luc Thériault holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Toronto. He has authored several publications on social policy issues as a member of the Faculty of Social Work, University of Regina. He recently joined the Department of Sociology at the University of New Brunswick where he teaches on the family and program evaluation. Le microcredit dans le contexte Canadien et Québécois David Bureau Abstract Au cours de cet exposé, nous traiterons du microcrédit comme un outil de développement économique et d’inclusion social qui contribue à lutter contre la pauvreté et à améliorer les conditions de vie des participants. Au Canada et au Québec les organisations de microcrédit sont essentielles dans le contexte où les institutions financières traditionnelles sont de plus en plus exigeantes envers les gens qui vivent des situations économiques précaires. De plus, nous voyons se développer un marché important dans le domaine du crédit parallèle à la consommation. On peut penser aux commerces d’encaissement de chèque et aux prêteurs sur gage qui maintiennent les gens dans le cercle vicieux de l’endettement. Cette présentation correspond aux objectifs de la conférence puisqu’elle propose un regard sur les programmes de microcrédit adapté aux réalités canadiennes. Enfin, comme l’année 2005 a été désignée comme étant l’année internationale du microcrédit par l’Assemblée Générale des Nations Unis, cette présentation permet de participer concrètement à ce mouvement international. Biography David Bureau est en train de compléter la Maîtrise en Gestion du développement des coopératives et des collectivités à l’Université de Sherbrooke (IRECUS). Il rédige actuellement son essai qui traite du microcrédit dans le contexte Canadien et Québécois. David a notamment participé avec l’organisme IDÉE (Initiation et Développement Entrepreneurial de l’Estrie) qui offre le service de microcrédit. Policy Futures? An Exploratory mapping of the implementation of the voluntary sector accord/compact in Canada and the UK Peter Elson Abstract Both Canada (2001) and the UK (1998) entered into state-voluntary sector agreements. While several authors have independently chronicled these events, (Etherington and Anheier 2001; Brock 2002; Phillips 2002). The purpose of this paper is to outline and apply a policy implementation framework initially developed by Paul Sabatier to the initial post-agreement implementation phase of the state - voluntary sector agreements in Canada and the UK (Sabatier 1986). The paper will address the question of whether this policy implementation framework can be used to assess the implementation of Accord-like agreements. Biography Peter Elson is actively engaged in voluntary sector policy research and is a seasonal instructor in the Interdisciplinary Studies in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Management Program at Ryerson University. Peter completed his MSc in Voluntary Sector Organization at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2002. B2. Paper presentations New model of employment for persons with disabilities Jean Denning Abstract This model is a result of research that includes three best practices that have continued success rate of 70% employment rate for persons with disabilities as compared to the 25% rate that exists in North America today. Other ideas for the model were implemented for the model from interviews with employed persons with disabilities, as well as with government officials that deal directly with such policies and a careful literature review of existing policies. New data is presented with a personal narrative that highlights the incredible barriers that are presently in place for persons with disabilities. The model has a collaborative effect, as it requires a joining of already existing programs with a single entry program. The model provides a humanistic way to enable persons with disabilities to contribute to the world, gain independence and belong to the world of work. Biography Jean Denning is a recent masters graduate from UNB in which she did extensive research in the area of employment for persons with disabilities. She is the author of three books and is currently writing a book called,“ Dignity Matters”. She is a personal empowerment facilitator and is often referred to as the Turn Around Tutor. She provides workshops in learning styles, teaching styles, and non-violent communication. Living with a Disability on Income Assistance Andrea Long Abstract In April 2005, SPARC BC will complete a pilot study on the adequacy of welfare benefits for disabled persons in BC. It is timely to be examining disability benefit adequacy. The language of the BC government regularly points to disabled benefit recipients as a group for whom the welfare system is ‘working’, and for whom reliance on public support is ‘legitimate’. This is reflected in recent decisions to increase benefits and expand available supports for disabled welfare recipients, while reducing or eliminating provisions for non-disabled recipients. Unfortunately, analysis of SPARC BC’s data to date suggests that claims about welfare’s ‘success’ for disabled persons may be premature. Disabled recipients are often unable to afford basic necessities or access appropriate health care and supplies. The legitimacy accorded to disability benefits in a welfare system increasingly premised on active labour market polices (workfare) may be obscuring hardship and exclusion for disabled persons. Biography Andrea Long is a Research Director at SPARC BC. She conducts research on behalf of municipal, provincial, and federal organizations and governments, and engages in public education and advocacy to disseminate research findings. Her research interests include income assistance, volunteerism, supports for disabled persons, and child care policy. National policy and regional outcomes A study of disability policy and how it affects regional settings Lucie Dumais Abstract With Quebec’s policy À part égale and Canada’s À l’Unisson as a backdrop, LAREPPS embarked on a large scale investigation of disability policies and programs four years ago. These policies aim at the inclusion of disabled people and the just compensation of their specific needs or aids. In this paper, we address three sets of issues, home services, housing and occupational integration, and we compare regional settings across the province. We point to factors that may contribute to explain regional differences. We put forward a hypothesis about the structuring role of state policies on the demands of the disability movement in Quebec and on the development of activities (services, advocacy) by third sector organizations in the three domains being explored. This should provide us with a view on how Canada is faring with the issue of social inclusion. Biographies Lucie Dumais holds a PhD in sociology from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Before dedicating herself to research in the field of disability and social services, she worked extensively on women’s health and work in Ontario and Québec. Member of LAREPPS since 1999, she has recently joined the School of Social Work at UQAM as professor of social policy. Yves Vaillancourt is Professor of Social Work at UQAM. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the Université de Montréal and is an expert on Social Policy. Director of a research unit (LAREPPS) founded in 1992, he is also a member of a CURA on the Social Economy and of CRISES, a research center on social innovations. Politique régionale d’intégration des enfants présentant des besoins particuliers des centres de la petite enfance (région de Québec et Chaudière-Appalaches) Éric Demers Abstract Depuis sa création, il y a 21 ans, l’intégration des enfants handicapés et de ceux qui présentent des besoins particuliers fait partie des préoccupations des membres du Regroupement des centres de la petite enfance de la région de Québec et Chaudière-Appalaches (Regroupement). À l’automne 2003, le conseil d’administration du Regroupement adoptait une approche novatrice en se dotant d’une Politique régionale d’intégration. Les trois raisons majeures qui ont motivé le Regroupement à entamer une telle démarche sont les suivantes : l’augmentation constante du nombre d’enfants présentant des besoins particuliers en milieu de garde le besoin maintes fois exprimé d’outiller et d’épauler l’ensemble des acteurs des centres de la petite enfance la nécessité d’offrir une chance égale à tous les enfants Dans le cadre de cet atelier, nous aborderons plus spécifiquement : le contexte de notre réseau, les problématiques d’inclusion et d’intégration, les défis, les solutions et surtout les résultats découlant de nos efforts concertés. Biography Éric Demers est géographe et enseignant de formation. Impliqué pendant près de dix ans dans le milieu de l’éducation des adultes et de l’alphabétisation, il a coordonné plusieurs projets tant au Québec que dans la francophonie canadienne. Impliqué depuis peu dans le réseau en plein développement des Centres de la petite enfance, il met à profit ses compétences liées au développement de partenariat et à la concertation. B3. Paper presentations Social Policy & Social Citizenship: An Analysis of the Social Union Framework Agreement (SUFA) Three-Year Review Tammy Findlay Abstract In 2002, the Social Union Framework Agreement (SUFA) underwent its Three-Year Review. The paper analyzes this Review process, based on the submissions made by members of the social policy community, and their participation in a series of Roundtable discussions across Canada. It discusses 7 key areas: the SUFA Review Process, Accountability, Participation, Executive Federalism, National Standards, Implementing the SUFA, and Expanding the Social Policy Agenda. Social policy activists and voluntary sector organizations, including Aboriginal, anti-poverty, labour, childcare, health and education policy organizations identified these as critical, though often inadequate, in the current social policy context. In particular, the paper questions the SUFA’s claims to foster cooperation, equity, social citizenship and inclusion. The conference theme, “Forging Social Futures,” aimed at “forging more responsive and equitable policies, programs, and practices in the social policy arena,” is precisely the dominant objective expressed by the Canadian social policy community who participated in the Review. Biography Tammy Findlay is a Ph.D. candidate in political science at York University. She specializes in Canadian politics, public policy, gender and politics and feminist political economy. Federalism and Social Policy: Evaluating Recent Federal-Provincial Agreements Peter Graefe Abstract This paper will examine recent federal-provincial agreements in the health, child, disability and housing policy fields in order to draw out emergent trends in post- Social Union Framework Agreement federal-provincial relations, and to evaluate what these mean for social policy development in Canada. It will argue that earlier emphases on “national standards” enforced by the federal government through its spending power, are unlikely to have much purchase as even the federal government seeks more agile means of ensuring some pan-Canadian social policy integration. As the federal government places more emphasis on setting agendas and on ensuring provincial compliance through forms of public reporting, there is a need to push reflection beyond calls for stronger national leadership, to considering how the current trend in federal-provincial relations could be made to yield better social policy outcomes. Biography Peter Graefe is an assistant professor of political science at McMaster University. His research concerns Canadian federalism, Québec politics, and social policy, with an emphasis on policies dealing with the social economy or third sector. He holds a PhD from the Université de Montréal (2003). B4. Paper presentations Forging Sustainable Futures for Rural Communities. Ishbel Munro, Malcolm Shookner Abstract Rural Communities Impacting Policy (RCIP) is a Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) between the Coastal Communities Network of Nova Scotia and the Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre at Dalhousie University, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The purpose of the RCIP Project is to increase the ability of rural communities and organizations in Nova Scotia to access and use social science research to influence and develop policies that contribute to the health and sustainability of rural communities. Using a combination of methods involving community-based research, training, and policy change strategies, the project partners have made progress on influencing policies that affect rural communities. The research agenda, spanning many of the social determinants of health, addresses the inequity and exclusion experienced by many rural communities and promotes a new relationship between rural and urban communities based on principles of sustainable community development. Biographies Ishbel Munro is Executive Director of Coastal Communities Network (CCN), a province wide grassroots, non-profit that working is to ensure the future of Nova Scotia’s rural and coastal communities. Ishbel has been involved in community development work for over 30 years, working with First Nations, fishermen, environmentalists, women, and youth. Malcolm Shookner is the RCIP Project Coordinator and Regional Development Coordinator for the Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre at Dalhousie University. He has extensive experience in human services, community development, health promotion, social research and social policy. He has been active in the anti-poverty, human rights and healthy communities movements. Rural People Getting-By in a ‘Welfare State’ Victoria Bell Abstract This paper uses data from interviews with low-income rural Nova Scotians to explore the struggles that occur over the meaning of poverty and livelihood in the Canadian welfare state. Nova Scotia’s social assistance legislation is used as an example of the current goals and methods of the welfare state – goals and methods which have shifted under the influence of neo-liberal ideology and global economic processes. The experiences and opinions of low-income rural Nova Scotians are then considered in relation to this official story about poverty. The official story appeals to certain common values and assumptions of the Nova Scotians interviewed, while at the same time running counter to many of their observations and lived experiences. The paper demonstrates how social policies and their guiding ideologies affect the livelihood strategies of Canadians. Biography Victoria received her MA in social anthropology from Dalhousie University in 2004. Her thesis research was an exploration of welfare policy, livelihoods and ideology in rural Nova Scotia. Victoria currently works with the New Rural Economy (NRE) project at Concordia University and is pursuing a career in social policy. Social assistance programs and their impacts: the perspective of income security recipients Ysabel Provencher, Chantal Bourassa Abstract Since the mid-1990s, almost all provinces in Canada have undertaken a reform of their income security plan. In New Brunswick, few studies have examined the impacts of reforms brought in 1995 to the province's social assistance program. The New Brunswick Common Front for Social Justice, in partnership with Université de Moncton School of Social Work's Research-Action Laboratory, has led a study that focused on identifying the views of social assistance recipients on their relationship with the income security system. Findings are based on a series of focus groups held during 2004, in the southeastern and northern parts of the province, with francophone social assistance recipients. The people we met told us about their life on social assistance and shared their analysis of the system. People living in poverty quickly appropriated this action-research project and this gave rise to a feeling of empowerment. Biographies Ysabel Provencher :Elle possède un doctorat en service social de l’Université Laval. Son domaine de recherche s’articule surtout au niveau des politiques sociales. Elle a rédigé récemment, avec la deuxième présentatrice, un rapport de recherche qui présente les résultats de la première phase de cette étude. Chantal Bourassa :Elle possède un doctorat en service social de l’Université Laval. Ses intérêts de recherche portent sur les manifestations macrosystémiques et structurelles de la violence, telle que la pauvreté. B5. Workshop Inclusive Cities Canada: A Cross-Cross Canada Civic Initiative Randy Hatfield, Nick Istvanffy Abstract The presentation will focus on the findings of a series of civic social inclusion audits conducted in 5 cities in Canada (Vancouver/North Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Burlington, and Saint John). The studies examined five dimensions of social inclusion - diversity, living conditions, human development, civic engagement, and community services – through a series of focus groups and local soundings. The work in each city was under the leadership of local civic panels comprised of municipal politicians and other community leaders. The presentation will discuss the implications for changes to community practice and public policy, building on the recommendations from the local civic audit reports and a cross-Canada report. B6. Workshop - CANCELLED LGBTTIQ Inclusion - WORKSHOP CANCELLED Dawn Archambault, Brenda Hattie Abstract The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Two-Spirited, Intersex and Questioning (LGBTTIQ) community is an extremely diverse community. Members of this unique population come from all cultural diversities are represented in disabled populations, youth and the elderly. These sub-communities within the LGBTTIQ community have very diverse needs. The Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project in collaboration with The Nova Scotia AIDS Coalition and the LGB Youth Project have developed this unique interactive workshop. Based on the research conducted by The Halifax Rainbow Health Project this presentation we will discuss the effects of systemic exclusion on the health of the LGBTTIQ community. The workshop will also address as the process of creating policies and procedures that are inclusive to this heterogeneous population. Biographies Dawn Archambault is the project coordinator for the Halifax Rainbow Health Project. Brenda Hattie works on the Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project. B7. Roundtable Social and Economic Inclusion (SEI): Setting the Stage to Address Women’s Issues in the Policy Arena Barbara Clow, Linda Snyder Abstract During this session, we will examine four research projects that employ an SEI framework: ‘Rethinking health inequities: Social and economic inclusion and the case of lone mothers’; ‘On the Margins: Understanding and Improving Black Women’s Health in Rural and Remote Nova Scotia Communities’; ‘Women in Public Policy Initiative’, and; ‘A Healthy Balance: A Community Alliance for Health Research on Women's Unpaid Caregiving’. Individually and collectively, these projects deepen our appreciation of the potential of a SEI framework for addressing gender inequities in social policy. Roundtable participants will have an opportunity to reflect upon current approaches to social policy development as well as to consider strategies for addressing women’s interests and needs in the formulation of public policy. Biographies Barbara Clow is Executive Director of the ACEWH, a centre for research and policy advice on women’s health, under the auspices of IWK Health Centre and Dalhousie University. She has a PhD in the history of medicine and for more than 10 years has been engaged in research related to health history and women’s health, such as the impact of health reform on women and the role of gender in the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Linda Snyder is Program Coordinator of the Social and Economic Inclusion Program at the ACEWH and the project coordinator for the ‘Lone Mothers’ research project. She has extensive international and Canadian experience in community development and social justice.