Disability and Employment Policy in Canada: National Policy Variation for Working Age Individuals

This article analyses and compares disability policies for working-age individuals in Canada with a focus on the mode of policy provision and type of measure to determine the degree to which direct funding is used in this country. To consider policy diversity in this federal system, policies are com...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of social policy 2023-10, Vol.52 (4), p.719-739
Main Authors: DINAN, SHANNON, BOUCHER, NORMAND
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Cluster analysis
Disability
Employment
Employment policies
Funding
Health services
Integrated care
Money
People with disabilities
Poverty
Provinces
Qualitative research
Quantitative analysis
Social integration
Social policy
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Summary:This article analyses and compares disability policies for working-age individuals in Canada with a focus on the mode of policy provision and type of measure to determine the degree to which direct funding is used in this country. To consider policy diversity in this federal system, policies are compared using a mixed-methods approach. Using quantitative methods, federal, provincial and territorial policies are first compared using hierarchical cluster analysis. This provides evidence of three distinct clusters in Canada according to policy provision and measure type. In a second, qualitative analysis, the disability strategies of four provinces’ (British Columbia, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec) are compared, to determine over arching policy orientations. Findings indicate that policy provision in Canada largely favours money over services. Furthermore, most provinces emphasize either health or integration measures over substantive measures. Despite these commonalities, significant variation persists across Canada. This extends to poverty and disability reduction strategies with two of the four provinces having a broader orientation while the other two provinces focus specifically on employment as a means of social inclusion. The article concludes with a discussion on the state of employment policies for individuals with a disability in Canada.
ISSN:0047-2794
1469-7823
DOI:10.1017/S0047279421000878