Sickness, Disability and Work: Breaking the Barriers: Canada
Opportunities for Collaboration
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Sickness and disability policy reform has been a priority for OECD countries wanting to improve employment and social outcomes in this domain. The recent recession and corresponding fall in labour demand is expected to hit marginalised workers, including workers with health problems or disability, harder than the broader working-age population. There is a pressing need for policy makers to address the recent “medicalisation” of labour market problems, a phenomenon that appears to underlie much of the difficulties countries find in disability policy making. This report is an assessment of the Canadian situation, albeit through the lens of the federal government and the provinces of Québec, British Columbia and Manitoba. It looks at the current state of play following a decade of various reforms and preceding a period where further revisions are likely.
Also available in: French
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Executive Summary
Canada, like other OECD nations, is working to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its policies for persons affected by sickness and disability. The employment picture for these persons is poor and as in other countries, this is associated with a heightened risk of being in or close to poverty and dependent on disability and other social welfare payments. The fall in labour demand since the start of the current economic downturn is especially concerning for such persons because they were already having difficulty finding work in the earlier part of this decade when the Canadian economy was growing strongly.
Also available in: French
- Click to access:
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Click to download PDF - 218.20KBPDF