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Canadian Social Policy The Title Essay

That style helps make this article potent. Instead of narratively screaming "Unfair!" Or "Corrupt!" Or "Arrogant!" from the sidelines, the authors use a velvet hammer. To use Franklin D. Roosevelt's phrase, the authors are speaking softly but their message carries a big stick. Throughout the article, the authors embrace the concept of "tools" -- as was foreshadowed in the article's headline -- and in every case, it is the federal government using tools like hammers to pound out its message of authority and control. There are too many "tool" allusions to mention in this paper, but two classic tools are presented on pages 77-78. The first mentioned is the tool of paperwork, basically of big brother's bureaucratic harassment: provinces will receive some monies but they may only spend federal funds in "certain broad envelopes" and must report on every dime spent in order to justify receiving the resources. The second tool on page 77-78 is the federal government's investment in "specialized" institutes and foundations (think tanks poised to make the government look good) that are expected to come up with expertise on which specific policies should be pursued (Boismenu, 77).

By establishing think tanks that are essentially extensions of the government, purportedly fresh ideas and scientific theories can be produced in order to justify and extend the current administration's policies and philosophies. The specialists in these institutions are then "knowledge producers" and the government can say it is listening to experts -- and who knows how to run things and solve problems than experts? Certainly outside experts know better than politicians, or so the argument goes. Again, the authors...

They insist that the think tanks are designed not to set up needed programs, but rather to deflect federal-provincial "interactions" into new fields that are totally under the control of the federal government (78).
In every field alluded to in this paper, children's issues, health and labor, the federal government's polices -- notwithstanding the authors' care in description and tone -- are presented as pushy and condescending. In terms of leadership vis-a-vis labor issues, the answer is no, the feds will not provide more funding for job training; but yes, the feds will transfer existing federal monies over to provinces for their own provincial job training. There's just one catch: the feds will have planning and oversight authority (Boismenu, 84). Big brother will be in charge.

As to strengths of this piece, Boismenu / Graefe offer as many narrative strengths as the federal government of Canada has weaknesses when it comes to collaboration and cooperation with the provinces. The purpose of the article was to provide specific examples with reference to needs of the people juxtaposed with the out-of-balance relationship between the provinces and the federal government. Clearly the power in Canada is not in the hands of the people and provinces. As Boismenu / Graefe poignantly observe on page 84, when it comes to sharing funds with provinces for job training, the feds were willing to "steer" the boat while the provinces "rowed."

Works Cited

Boismenu, Gerard, and Graefe, Peter. (2004). The New Federal Tool Belt: Attempts to Rebuild

Social…

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Works Cited

Boismenu, Gerard, and Graefe, Peter. (2004). The New Federal Tool Belt: Attempts to Rebuild

Social Policy Leadership. Canadian Public Policy, XXX (1), 71-86.
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