Abstracts & Bios Session E 7 Concurrent Sessions Friday June 17, 2005 4:00 - 5:30 E1 Paper presentations Skill development for the new economy: diagnosing the problem Jane Cruikshank Abstract What problems are workers experiencing in the New Economy? Do government policies that focus on skill development to enhance Canadian competitiveness in the global economy really work? To find answers to these questions, I interviewed 12 Saskatchewan union organizers as part of a SSHRC funded research program. This paper explores three interrelated “work” themes that emerged from the interviews: increased workload, job insecurity and loss of job satisfaction. The research participants were highly critical of the skill development focus of government policies. This paper describes their critique, discusses some statistics, and questions the government diagnosis of the problem. It argues that the problem is not a lack of skills, but a lack of jobs for people with skills. The paper calls for policies that focus on the redistribution of work, the redesign of work, and the creation of more environmentally sane jobs as a way of forging more equitable futures. Biography Jane Cruikshank is a Professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Regina. Her research is on lifelong learning and New Economy issues. She has a PhD in adult education. Governing Active Labour Market Policy in the United Kingdom: the Impact of Devolution and the European Employment Strategy Donna Wood Abstract The ascent to power of Tony Blair’s Labour party in the United Kingdom in 1997 resulted in major reforms to the British welfare state, including devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the introduction of a variety of ‘New Deals’ to move people from welfare to work. This paper examines the intersection of these two events by exploring the nature of the intergovernmental relations system that has been put in place between the Scottish and the UK governments to manage active labour market programs. It also considers the European dynamic of the relationship through the European Employment Strategy. The impact of this newly emerging pattern of intergovernmental relations on ALMP governance is analyzed, including the impact on the policy making process as well as the democratic involvement of citizens, legislatures and stakeholders in this process. Biography Donna is currently a PhD candidate in Social Policy at the University of Edinburgh. Before starting her PhD, Donna worked for over twenty years with the Governments of Alberta and the Northwest Territories in social policy analysis, development and intergovernmental relations, including work on the National Child Benefit, Labour Force Development Agreements, labour mobility, international labour agreements and welfare reform. Donna has a Bachelor of Social Science degree from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Public Management from the University of Alberta. The meaning of work Luann Good Gingrich Abstract Guided by the public ethos of unquestioning faith in monetarism and the free-play of market forces, the commodification of the social welfare system has reduced the whole of society to the labour market, and social problems – managed through policy responses comprised exclusively of market mechanisms – dissolve into private troubles. This is the fused market-state social field, and waged labour is lauded as the hallowed road to social inclusion. This paper examines the specific and paradoxical ways in which the meaning of work is diminished and defiled in this market-state social field for various ethno-religious communities of Low German-speaking migrant farm labourers from Mexico. Specifically gendered roles are central to their Mennonite faith tradition, and work on the land and in the home is considered sacred. Extreme economic hardship, due primarily to drought and NAFTA, has forced many to return to Canada, the birthplace of their parents and grandparents, where they find themselves caught in the desperate contest between physical and cultural/religious survival. Inclusive policy imaginings require careful consideration of the meaning of work beyond waged labour. Biography Luann Good Gingrich is a Lecturer at the School of Social Work, York University, and a PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. Her research has focused on social exclusion and its self-imposed expressions among the Low German-speaking Mennonites from Mexico in Ontario. E2. Paper presentations Primary health care: reality or rhetoric Margaret Dykeman, Stacie Taylor Abstract All across Canada we are hearing that health care delivery should fit into a primary health care (PHC) framework. The move to such a mode of delivery would ensure that the determinants of health are addressed as the determinants provide a framework that allows us to operationalize PHC. However, even though we are facing ever-increasing costs for health care delivery, we see very little change to the status quo and primary health care delivery models are difficult to find. The objective of this presentation is to discuss a project that was developed as an alternative mode for the delivery of health care. This model embraces the principles of primary health care and incorporates the determinants of health into the day- to-day operation of the project. Evaluation outcomes will be included as part of the discussion. Biographies Margaret Dykeman is a Professor in the Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick. She currently manages the Community Health Clinic in Fredericton, which was opened by the Faculty of Nursing to be used for teaching and research and to provide much needed health care services for persons having difficulty accessing mainstream health care. Stacie Taylor is the Outreach/Research Nurse at the Community Health Clinic in Fredericton. She works under the management of Dr. Dykeman. Stacie is currently enrolled in her Master’s of nursing degree program at the University Of New Brunswick Socioeconomic determinants of positive childhood development in British Columbia Paul Kershaw, Barry Forer, Daniyal Zuberi, Michele Wiens, Peter Schaub, Clyde Hertzman Abstract The Human Early Learning Partnership collected Early Development Instrument (EDI) data about kindergarten children across the province in 469 neighbourhoods. The EDI measures physical, social/ emotional, and language/cognitive development. This paper integrates EDI data with an exhaustive set of socioeconomic indicators (SEI) about each of the neighbourhoods from the 2001 census. By means of a step-wise linear regression analysis we identify the neighbourhood characteristics that correlate significantly with (a) average EDI scores and (b) the percentage of children at risk of developmental delay in each neighbourhood. Initial results indicate that significant determinants of delay include median family income, the percentage of households below LICO, unemployment levels among households with children, and the disparity between median male and female incomes. Education variables do not factor prominently as significant determinants of development in this study. The paper examines how findings from BC advance the literature about neighbourhood effects and explores policy implications. Biography Dr. Paul Kershaw is an Assistant Professor at UBC in the Faculty of Graduate Studies. His research marries political theory with careful public policy analysis. Recent publications address citizenry care responsibilities and rights, the gap between child care research and policy, parental leave, work-family balance, and the tax treatment of caregiving and dependency. Equitable access to health care in an era of reform: Is it attainable Marylin J. Hodgins, Marilyn Merritt-Gray, Judy Wuest Abstract Advances in science and technologies combined with budgetary reallocations have substantively changed the fabric of health care delivery in Canada. These changes have resulted in reductions or even loss of services in some communities. Such actions have been justified by the assertion that smaller centres can no longer provide these services due to their increasing complexity, diversity, and cost1. However others have argued that a rural / urban divide now exists in terms of those who have and have not access to services. Accessibility is one of the five principles of the Canada Health Act. Provincially, the Premier’s Health Quality Council emphasized that New Brunswickers must have access to primary care services 24-hours a day, 7-days a week3. Despite this, criteria to support the establishment and evaluation of health policies reflecting this value are lacking. In this presentation, access to health care services will be discussed based on findings from a study involving 2,030 New Brunswickers who accessed an emergency department due to an unexpected minor health problem. Biographies Dr. Hodgins’ practice and research interests focus on pain and symptom management, emergency care, and access to health care services. Currently, she is the primary investigator of a multi-site study investigating New Brunswickers’ use of the emergency department for minor health problems, which is supported by CIHR’s Regional Partnership Program. Professor Merritt-Gray’s practice and research interests include woman abuse, psychiatric/mental health care, health resource development and design in rural areas, and health policy. She is currently involved in a number of nationally-funded projects. Dr. Wuest has established an extensive program of research dealing with women’s health and intimate partner violence. Her research is currently supported by operating grants from SSHRC and CIHR and a New Emerging Term Grant from CIHR. Dr. Wuest was a member of the Premier’s Health Quality Council from 2000 to 2002. E3. Paper presentations Time for a guaranteed livable income Cindy L’Hirondelle, Jeffery S. Larochelle Abstract Women are inordinately affected by poverty because they do the world's most essential economic work -- they produce the producers and consumers-- but, because this work is considered 'unproductive' gets poor, not rich. People with disabilities are also labeled as being 'unproductive' and are affected by poverty. The predominant solution to poverty has been to try to create more jobs. Yet, the job system squanders nature's resources on unnecessary or damaging economic activities. In addition, the oft stated goal of higher productivity means less work, not more. The only environmentally and economically feasible solution: implement a universal guaranteed livable income. A GLI would vastly improve the lives of those most hurt and exploited by the current death-cycle economy; it would create economic democracy and would have enormous benefits for the health of people and the planet. It could mobilize all those concerned with social and environmental justice. Biography Cindy L'Hirondelle, writer, single mother, collective member and former coordinator of the Victoria Status of Women Action Group, anti-poverty organizer, founding member of Livable Income For Everyone (LIFE) society. Jeffery S. Larochelle, writer, anti-poverty and disability activist, member of Livable Income For Everyone (LIFE) society. Soundings in Saskatchewan: Basic income as new approach to economic security Jim Mullvale, Diane Delaney Abstract This paper will focus on Basic Income (BI) as a new model of economic security in the post-Keynesian welfare state era. The paper will consist of four parts: 1. a brief outline of the BI model as advanced by van Parijs, Lerner, and others 2. an overview of BI developments in other jurisdictions where this model has either been partially implemented (e.g. Alaska, Ireland) or is under active consideration (e.g. Brazil, Spain) 3. a summary and analysis of what anti-poverty activists in Saskatchewan think about the desirability and feasibility the BI model, based on focus groups and interviews conducted in early 2005 4. some critical exploration of if and how a BI agenda might be advanced in Saskatchewan, or more broadly in Canada, taking into account public opinion, policies and ideologies of political parties, the fiscal situation of governments, and the potential for support among key policy makers in the public service and the social policy community. Biographies Jim Mulvale’s academic background is in Social Work and Sociology. He is the author of Reimagining Social Welfare (Garamond Press, 2001) and teaches an on-line course on “Work, Economic Security, and Justice.” He currently serves as Head of the Dept. of Justice Studies at the University of Regina. Linda Bell is a graduate of the BSW program of the University of Regina. In her current work as Community Development Coordinator with Saskatoon Communities for Children, she advocates for improved services for children. Anti-poverty work is a major focus for Ms. Bell, as well as advocacy for sexually exploited youth and youth facing addictions. Peter Gilmer has worked an anti-poverty advocate with the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry for the past nine years. He has also served as the Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Coalition Against Racism, chaired the Regina Council on Social Development, and done social justice work with the United Church of Canada. Bonnie Morton has worked as an anti-poverty advocate for the past fourteen years. She currently serves as the President of the National Anti-Poverty Organization and is involved in its court challenges program. She has received the Keith Couse award for social justice work, the YWCA Women of Distinction Award, and the International Helen Prize for humanitarian service. Reforming income security for low income Canadian adults from outside of government John Stapleton, Jill Black Abstract The Toronto City Summit Alliance (TCSA) and St. Christopher House (St. Chris) have launched the Task Force on Modernizing Income Security for Working-Age Adults to address the urgent need to reform income security policies. Our economy needs the participation of all working age adults and this need will grow significantly with an aging population. If we do not fix our income security programs, it will be our large cities that most suffer the consequences. With their proven track records, the TCSA and St. Christopher House have assembled a multi-stakeholder group of experts and leaders from the non profit, academic, business, and government sectors of civil society to tackle the issues. In addition a Working Group has been formed to review the existing research, identify gaps in knowledge, provide the analysis for solutions, and development of options and recommendations. The Task Force will rely on the extent possible to existing research and will consult with both community groups and consumers. Biographies John Stapleton works as Community Undertaking Social Policy Fellow at St Christopher House in Toronto in association with Massey College at the University of Toronto. He freelances as a social policy consultant with governments while continuing to work with such diverse interests as St. Christopher House, the Caledon Institute, Human Resources and Skill Development Canada and the Ontario Soldiers' Aid Commission. He is presently research director for the Task Force on Modernizing Income Security for Working Age Adults in Toronto and is the co-chair of the working group associated with this project. John maintains an active interest in the history of social assistance in Ontario. Jill Black is currently an entrepreneur who is using the skills she developed at the Boston Consulting Group, a global strategy consulting firm, to translate business strategy and organization development concepts to help not-for-profit organizations clarify their mandates and deal with issues critical to success. E4. Paper presentations What kind of social investment welfare state? The discourse of the “vunerable child” and the prospects for a progressive social policy agenda Wendy McKeen Abstract Canada has adopted the idea of the social investment welfare state centred on the figure of the child. The idea of “investing in children” has taken hold as a central theme for social policy thought and action. This paper examines how the idea of investing in children is being framed within the context of federal debate and what potential this theme creates for advancing a progressive social policy agenda. The central questions explored are how has the debate on “investing in children” taken shape in the past several years and how has the progressive social policy sector fared in the struggle to define the issues and solutions? Indeed, how effective has the focus on children been as a political strategy for advancing a “high road” approach to social policy? Biography Wendy McKeen is assistant professor, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, where she teaches social policy and social justice. Her recent book explores the shaping of the debate on poverty and child benefits in Canada (Money in Their Own Name – the Feminist Voice in Poverty Debate in Canada, 1970-1995, University of Toronto Press, 2004). Her current research focuses on the dynamics of the shifting discourse in Ontario concerning single mothers, social assistance, and employability. Parental influences on early childhood reading achievement Natalie Lutwick, Dr. Elizabeth Sloat Abstract Developmental research suggests that early childhood contains critical periods for learning and development, and that exposure to certain experiences in the early years is closely tied to children’s language development. Early childhood experiences in the home are particularly important. Children who have parents that are loving and responsive to their needs, and make demands for mature behaviour while recognizing their individuality, have more favourable behavioral, emotional, and academic development. Conversely, children raised in less favourable family environments during the early years tend to be at risk of entering school without the skills they need to benefit from early instruction in reading. Researchers who have studied how early socialization affects early language acquisition have pointed to the mother’s expressions of praise, corrective language, and the quantity and quality of the language they use in the presence of their children as important protective factors. This paper investigates parental influences on early childhood reading achievement with findings from Canada’s National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Biographies Natalie Lutwick graduated with bachelors degrees from UNB in education and psychology in 2000. Natalie is currently completing a Masters degree in educational psychology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat (Munich), where her research has concentrated on psycho-social outcomes relating to divorce, parenting, and early childhood education. Natalie has been involved with the Canadian Research Institute for Social Policy since 2004, where she is studying statistical modeling of social science data and preparing her doctoral thesis research proposal for submission to UNB in May, 2005. Dr. Elizabeth Sloat conducts teaching and research in the area of language development across the life span. She is an Associate Professor with the Faculty of Education at UNB and Associate Director of the Canadian Research Institute for Social Policy at UNB. Postpartum depression: maternal and service provider’s perspectives Nicole Letourneau, M. Stewart, K. Hegadoren, J. Drummond, C. Rinaldi, J. Stoppard Abstract While approximately 13% of Canadian women experience postpartum depression (PPD), an affective condition with significant health consequences for the mother, child, and family, up to 50% of women with PPD decline available support. Research has not addressed women's perspectives of their support needs and preferences for support interventions. RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the support needs, available resources, barriers to support, resource utilization, and support preferences from the perspectives of both women who experienced PPD and their service providers? METHODS: Qualitative methods and participatory approaches are used in this study, conducted in Edmonton, AB and surrounding region. To date, 13 mothers have been individually interviewed and 12 service providers took part in a group interview Data have been audiotaped, transcribed, and subjected to thematic content analysis. RESULTS: Preliminary analysis revealed that mothers experience gaps in service availability and their stated preferences for support differ from the types of services typically offered. Biography Dr. Letourneau is a Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Canadian Institute for Advanced Research New Investigator. The objective of her research program is to develop and test interventions to support vulnerable children’s development. She has completed research with low-income familes, adolescent parents, homeless youth, disabled adolescents, and most recently begun research to support mothers and infants affected by domestic violence. E5. Workshop Vibrant Communities: A community based comprehensive approach to poverty reduction Monica Chaperlin, Cathy Wright Abstract This workshop will introduce Vibrant Communities Canada, a Pan-Canadian network of communities using collaborative, comprehensive approaches to reducing poverty, and how one community, Saint John, NB, is applying the Vibrant Communities approach to reduce its incidence of poverty. Vibrant Communities combines four strategies to improve income opportunities and community supports for low-income residents: multi-sectoral collaboration, comprehensive thinking and action, asset building and learning and change. The workshop will examine these components in relation to three strategic areas of concentration – investing in children and youth, education to employment, and safe and affordable housing. It will provide an opportunity to exchange ideas and practices that strengthen community based poverty reduction efforts. The workshop will also address the policy implications of community-based approaches to reducing poverty. Biographies Monica Chaperlin is a Coordinator at the Business Community Anti-Poverty Initiative. Cathy Wright is a Social Planner at Vibrant Communities in Saint John, New Brunswick. Eric Leviten –Reid is a Research Associate at the Caledon Institute of Social Policy. E6. Roundtable New research, new ideas, New Brunswick: Identity, citizenship, and culture Cameron Bodnar, Aloke Chatterjee, Leslie Jeffrey, Gayle MacDonald, Lianne McTavish, Karen Pearlston Abstract How is New Brunswick forging its social future? Researchers will address this question from a number of vantage points. The roundtable will highlight the diversity of approaches being brought to bear on examinations of New Brunswick's social environment, showcasing emerging areas of research, and creating opportunities for new intellectual synergies. Biographies CAMERON BODNAR, Ph.D candidate (York) is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of New Brunswick (Fredericton). His research interests lie in the areas of Canadian federalism, Canadian public law, and democratic theory. His recent work focuses on the democratic nature of intergovernmental relations in Canada and the transformation of Canadian political culture. ALOKE CHATTERJEE was hired at the Faculty of Law in the fall of 2003 as Assistant Professor to teach Civil Procedure and Constitutional Law. After obtaining his LL.B. from Dalhousie law School in 1997, he pursued post-graduate legal studies at Harvard, where he obtained his LL.M. in 1999. Professor Chatterjee has an on-going interest in law and disability studies. LESLIE JEFFREY, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of International Relations and Comparative Politics in the History and Politics department at the University of New Brunswick (Saint John). Her research areas include gender and international politics, human rights, and sex work policy. Her most recent research project is on sex work in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. GAYLE MACDONALD, Ph.D., is a Professor of Sociology at St. Thomas University. Her interests include research on sexuality, feminist jurisprudence, criminological theory and social control. She is currently finishing a three-year SSRHC funded study on prostitution in the Maritimes with Dr. Leslie Jeffrey. She has edited an earlier collection entitled Social Context and Social Location in the Sociology of Law (2002) LIANNE MCTAVISH, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Visual Culture at the University of New Brunswick (Fredericton). Mctavish has published a book on early modern French visual culture (Ashgate, 2005), as well as various articles on critical museum theory. Her current project examines the imbrication of identity, gender, and strategies of collecting at the New Brunswick Museum, 1842-1950 KAREN MURRAY, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of New Brunswick (Fredericton). Her primary teaching interests are in the areas of public policy and governance, with a primary interest in the evolving role of the voluntary sector. KAREN PEARLSTON, LLB. (Osgoode Hall), LLM (UBC), Ph.D. (Cand.) (Osgoode Hall), is Assistant Professor of Law at the University of New Brunswick, where she teaches Family Law, Tort Law, Feminist Advocacy and Legal History. Prior to attending law school, she worked in a shelter for homeless and abused women and their children. She has also worked in many social justice movements. Her research interests are animated by those experiences. E7. Roundtable (L’effort d’une communauté pours’en sortir: l’histoire de l’action collective dans le quartier Saint-Michel à Montréal, le plus pauvre au Canada) A community’s efforts to improve itself: a history of community building in Montreal’s Saint-Michel district, the poorest neighbourhood in Canada Lyse Brunet, Pierre Durocher Abstract This presentation will describe how 20 years of community building have transformed Montreal’s Saint-Michel district, the poorest neighbourhood in Canada, from a deserted community into the chosen seat of the world famous Cirque du Soleil. In 2003, the neighbourhood’s round table, Vivre Saint-Michel en Santé, became a Vibrant Communities partner and launched a major urban and social revitalization project. Today, Saint-Michel is mobilizing once again to combat poverty and exclusion. Saint-Michel’s challenges are similar in nature to those facing other urban communities, but more formidable: 40% of residents live under the low-income threshold, 42% belong to one of the district’s many cultural communities, housing is inadequate, delinquency is a problem, and many people feel unsafe. This presentation will examine current community building efforts in Saint-Michel and explore how in Saint-Michel, collaboration, communication, structures, services support, creation of knowledge and networking is leading to a real collaboration as to make real headway in reducing poverty and opposing exclusion in the neighbourhood… with the hopes and concerns this mobilization generates. Biographies Lyse Brunet is Vice-President for Social Development at Centraide (United Way) of Greater Montreal. As such, she is responsible for developing strategies for investing in the community the proceeds of Centraide’s annual fund drive. Centraide raised over $45 million in 2004 and currently supports more than 300 community agencies and projects. Mrs. Brunet directed Centraide’s strategic study of social issues in 2000 and published the study’s findings in a report entitled Building Caring Communities and Supporting their Ability to Act. She has extensive experience in community building and a thorough knowledge of the dynamics involved. Mrs. Brunet has served as a director of several community agencies and lectured on community building strategies at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). She instigated the Vibrant Communities project in Montreal’s Saint-Michel neighbourhood. Pierre Durocher is a founding member of Vivre St-Michel en Santé, the round table of Montreal’s Saint-Michel neighbourhood, as well as director of its urban and social revitalization project. He was executive director of the Saint-Michel Local Community Service Centre for 17 years and participated in many neighbourhood mobilizations to improve living conditions in the neighbourhood. Mr. Durocher began his career doing social work in poor Montreal neighbourhoods and has extensive experience in the management of social services in the Greater Montreal area. He serves on the boards of several community-based agencies.