Canadian Pension

A country’s social security system is very important, as it directly relates to the happiness and wellbeing of its citizens. During this time period, Canada’s social security system advanced greatly, specifically with the Canadian Pension Plan and the Medical Care Act. Although an Old Age Pension Act was already introduced in 1927, this program only provided benefits for seniors who had an annual income that was less than $350. With the economic improvement following World War 2, seniors faced the problem of inflation because their pensions were tied to minimum income levels rather than the cost of living. In 1951, Louis St. Laurent fixed this issue by introducing the Old Age Security Act and Old Age Assistance Act, the first pensions that

This was demonstrated through the enactment of the Canadian Fair Employment Practices Act, which prohibited an employer from discriminating his employees on terms of their race, national origin, colour, or religion. As of July 1st 1953, the widespread issue of discrimination in the workplace was finally resolved at a federal level, which helped Canadians to embrace diversity. This is important because all Canadian employers were no longer able to pay or treat their employees on account of a disposition they were born with. As a result, white supremacy in the workforce began to die down, and more immigrants and coloured Canadians were employed. Another widespread workplace issue that existed before 1956 was the significantly low pay women received. Before the 1950s, most Canadians accepted that a woman 's duty was to be a housewife, so men should be paid more than women for doing the same work. However, after the second world war, the United Nations created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, a text that Canada and many other countries signed. One of the rights on the declaration was, “Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work,” so provinces across Canada passed equal pay laws to create this right during the 1950s. It wasn’t until January 10, 1956 that the Federal government passed the Female Employees Equal Pay Act, which made discrimination in wages, specifically on account of sex, against the law. Legislation was even further developed to include pensions and other valuable job-related benefits. The creation of this act was monumental for all women across Canada, because it motivated more housewives to pursue careers, and the women’s right movement gained