In general, many indicators of well-being of Canada are very highly related to most other countries represented in the rating of the index of living quality. In Canada, poverty is generally defined on basis of the poverty line; people with income below the poverty line is considered poor. In Canada, the number of people living in poverty generally increases.
The most complete information on poverty statistics gives Statistic Bureau of Canada. According to the latest published data, in 1997 in Canada 5.2 million people lived below the poverty line, representing 17.5% of the total population of Canada. This number does not include residents of the three Northern territories, aboriginal people living on reserve, as well as people in nursing homes, hospitals, and prisons.
In 2015 the statistics shows that the level of poverty increases. Most Canadians are under the threat of poverty in certain moments of life, since poverty is usually the result of lost work, underemployment, and reduction in real wages, low wages, death or disability of a breadwinner in the family, family breakdown, loss of health or other unforeseen circumstances associated with the unintended expenditures.
The minimum payment per hour in Quebec is 8 Canadian dollars after rising of the minimum wage. Prior to that, the minimum rate was 7, 75$. In Canada, 6 provinces wages are below this level. Ontario considers increasing of the minimum wage to $10 per hour in the next 3 years.
In general the increase of the wages will lead to increase of the labor productivity which may result in betterment of the economic situation across the country and even growth of GDP of Canada in future.
Consequently the problem with poverty remains quite significant. Specific governmental actions should be obligatory taken in order to prevent poverty tendencies in future. At the same time in comparison with other countries Canada is ranked to be one of the richest countries.
What has been the impact of the Residential School system in Canada on First Nation education and employment?
Education in Canada is traditionally known for its high quality. The country is ranked to be first in the world in terms of government spending on education per capita. There is not a lot of private schools in Canada. The private schools are usually residential.
Tuition cost at a private school of Canada is 50000 Canadian dollars and is the same for Canadian students and foreigners. At the same time the 93 % of people studies at governmental schools.
Nevertheless the impact of the Residential School system implementation in Canada may be considered as an act with positive outcomes for the First Nation education and employment. Some people have no opportunity to treat their children at home because of the complicated working schedule. That is why the residential schools are considered to be really good solution of this problem.
First of all, parents can focus more on their working process increasing productivity due to the fact that their children stay in residential schools and are under control of teachers.
Secondly, the residential schools provide children and teenagers with more complex educational system than governmental establishments. A number of extra-curricular activities such as sport, art and other classes are included.
Thirdly, residential facilities provide living commodities for children enhancing their social skills of cooperating with peers not only during study but in different other circumstances. This fact increases their working competence in future and makes them good leaders.
Consequently, the impact of the Residential School system in Canada on First Nation education and employment is really positive. Working productivity of parents whose children studies there and quality of education are enhanced as a result of this act.
In general, the role of residential schools is really significant and the implementation of such system is considered to be really positive.
What are the roles and responsibilities for the various actors in the workplace in terms of the occupational health and safety?
The occupational health and safety should be obligatory maintained by enterprise. For this end it is important to delegate responsibilities among different actors in the workplace in order to increase overall working productivity.
If allocation of responsibilities for labor protection is not made, the responsibility is inseparable to the authorized representative of the employer – the head of the organization. The assignment of responsibilities for creation of healthy and safe conditions of labor among the officials of the organization, as well as responsibility for their provision should be reflected in employment agreements, job descriptions of employees and administrative documents of the employer.
Main responsibilities employer responsibilities for occupational safety are defined by the head of the organization and heads of its structural and functional units. Heads of departments organize their unit work on the protection of labor, as in all other areas by distributing official and functional duties of employees, promotion of their work, control, etc.
That is why we need to define the basic responsibilities of the head of organization in terms of the occupational health and safety as an example. In accordance with the labor legislation the employer has direct supervision of labor protection. This function assumes the following responsibilities: to determine their own policy in the field of labor protection, to choose he necessary safety systems that meet their own policy.
The deputy head of the organization should manage the system of labor protection, to enable the regulatory legal acts on labor protection and control over compliance with their requirements. He should measure how to introduce safe techniques and technologies within the enterprise.
Discuss some of the historical roots of discrimination and how the continued discrimination faced by certain groups in society affects Canada
Ethnic issues of Canada have been historically in many ways similar to the problems of its neighbor— the United States of America. There were, however, significant differences. The most striking of them: the bi-national nature of the Canadian state, the absence in Canada of a wide importation of slaves from Africa and the lack of “negro problem".
Throughout the history of Canada a much stronger variability in ethnic composition, which is associated with a smaller population the Canadian population existed. The country is thereby able to quickly and successfully "digest" a lot of immigrants and the presence along with mass immigration and mass emigration also. All these factors make ethnic problems are quite important for public life of Canada.
Nevertheless the continued discrimination of the particular groups of Canada such as pregnant women (as occurs from practice) and immigrants partially takes place even now. Canada is a multinational country. The authorities and the population actively support ethnic diversity. Despite the fact that the number of inhabitants belonging to different ethnic groups is growing, the job search remains a problem for them.
According to the report, prepared by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) and the Wellesley Institute on the basis of data of Population Census 2014 ethnicity often an occurs to be significant obstacle to obtain well-paid work.
The discrimination of women is prohibited by the Canadian legislature. Nevertheless, in reality some women complaint that while being pregnant support of them as workers is rather minimized.
At the same time Canada is usually considered to be the country with equal conditions for people that are why the problem of discrimination is rather not very significant.
What is income distribution and in what ways does it affect Canadian society, discuss how the growing GDP might not mean benefits for all?
The distribution of material resources among the population is an important indicator of social inequality and the changes in the distribution are an important signal of a change in the society towards greater or lesser equality of its members.
Despite the fact that Canada solves the problem of inequality successfully enough, in a society with high social mobility, income distribution among the population remains unfair. The growth of income for 1% of the wealthiest Canadian residents has been noticed over the last decades, and the growth of income of the poor has largely decreased. Therefore the growing GDP index does not reflect the real situation of the income distribution in Canada.
In addition, inequality in Canada is growing faster than in the U.S. and other countries. Inequality in the country is observed both between citizens and between particular regions. The researchers noted that the Atlantic region has more significant inequality comparing to the most wealth provinces such as Alberta. Income inequality is also increasing in many Canadian cities such as Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. There was correlation between the level of income inequality and life expectancy. Income inequality is very sharp between native Canadians (Indians) and non-residents of Canada. Aboriginal Canadians have fewer opportunities for employment; often they cannot satisfy their basic needs.
Reasons of inequality were identified be some scientists. They are the wage of skilled and unskilled labor, changes in the structure of the labor market. According to the authors, inequality can be overcome by the way of creating larger number of jobs; growth of investment in education, including continuous education; reforming the system of social benefits and tax systems; increasing access of the most vulnerable groups of the population to quality social services: health, education; social security.
Consequently, the distribution of incomes may be considered as rather not equal because the large GDP belongs only to particular groups of population and the poverty still remains.
The report "Canada's Color Coded Labour Market" is one of the most extensive studies on the issue of jobs and livelihoods of immigrants with a distinct ethnicity and those whose ethnic group is not easy to determine.
The study conducted by Edward Galabuzi, the professor of the University of Ryerson, in the period previous to the recession, more Canadians with a distinct ethnicity were looking for a job, however, the unemployment rate among them was high and they earned less than those whose ethnicity was hard to determine.
Nevertheless, comparing with the previous years working conditions for immigrants in Canada were enhanced as for now. New programs to protect people from the racial discrimination were launched. Such categories of workers started to feel better treatment by the government than before. It is possible to conclude that the level of discrimination has significantly decreased.
References
Dereck, M. (2009). Occupational security. London: LNP.
Scott, J. (2015). Canada analysis. Toronto: TNL.
