HLSC 3P21 Lecture 2 Notes (Canadian Health Policy) PDF

HLSC 3P21 -- Issues in Canadian Health Policy Lecture 2 notes VIDEO \~ CBC Kids explanation of Politics (left and right) - Left and right labels were given due to the French deciding weather they chose to be with the kind or fight for revolution they sat on a certain side of the Hall -...

HLSC 3P21 -- Issues in Canadian Health Policy Lecture 2 notes VIDEO \~ CBC Kids explanation of Politics (left and right) - Left and right labels were given due to the French deciding weather they chose to be with the kind or fight for revolution they sat on a certain side of the Hall - Often a centre between the two sides is met it is where most politics happen... meaning that you can agree with one party on wone topic and another party on a different topic, yet they both want to achieve the same goal but they just have different approaches Left \-\--\> liberals - Taxes should be kept low - Government should absolutely be involved Right \-\--\> Conservatives - Believes total equality is unrealistic - Government should only help when needed POLITICS [Political Axis ] - Political ideologies (belief systems) are typically arrayed on a horizontal axis that's described as stretching from "left" to "right" - We should strive for equality, even if it means that the government should be involved - This means collecting taxes from the rich and providing for the poor (e.g. making school free in Canada to allow it to become more accessible regardless of financial status) **The political Left is associated with** - Government intervention to re-distribute wealth in support of greater social equality in the population - Higher taxes, more regulation of business, social reform - Development of society through reforms: such as gay rights. Access to abortion, equitable hiring practices, etc. - Higher levels of immigration, rehabilitation versus - Incarceration of criminals, and actions to mitigate climate crisis and global citizenship **The political Right is associated with** - "smaller" government that allows the free market to determine the distribution of wealth - Lower taxes, less regulation of business, traditional values - Belief that free market incentivizes business/industry to "do good" - Example: free market forces will lead industry to be good stewards of environment if and when customers demand it; gov. intervention/ regulation is not needed  Libertarian: conservative on economic issues but conservative on personal freedom - Different form liberal - Have a very strong belief on personal freedom - Believe that you should be able to do whatever you want regardless of the governments say, as long as you don't harm anyone else - If this is the case... what is considered harming other people?? [Political Theories ] Political theories \-\--\> communism, Socialism , Liberalism, Conservatism, Fascism Communism: An ideology advocating for a classless and stateless society where the means of production are commonly owned, and wealth is distributed according to needs. Communism aims to eliminate social and economic inequality. - Stateless = free from government - Means and sources of production = all the goods and services that come into society - Believe you are assigned a job to do in societ and all roles are equal, everyone is just trying to important - (e.g. picking up trash is just important as a surgeon preforming a heart transplant) Socialism: A political and economic system where the means of production, distribution, and exchange are owned or regulated by the community as a whole. Socialism seeks to address economic inequality through collective ownership and control. - Everyone contributes into the system and everyone benefits into the system - This can be viewed in our healthcare as everyone puts taxes into the health care system and everyone benefits from it - There is a acknowledgment that the government needs to be involved to some degree Liberalism: A political and social philosophy that emphasizes individual freedoms, equal rights, and the rule of law. It supports a democratic system, protection of civil liberties, and often advocates for social justice and government intervention to address inequalities. - Mainly in the centre but can lean both ways - Liberal ideologies realize that social justice requires government intervention - People can run themselves and properly address inequalities - 2 types: social liberal (left leaning) and classic liberal (right leaning) Conservatism: A political and social philosophy that values preservation of traditional institutions, cultural norms, and societal stability. It often advocates for limited government intervention, greater individual responsibility, and a free-market economy. - Supports societal stability - They don't want things to always be changing\... keep things stable (e.g. make America great again) Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic political ideology characterized by dictatorial power, strong centralized government, and suppression of dissent. Fascism often promotes aggressive nationalism, anti-liberalism, and anti-communism. - Authoritarian nature - Very strong nationalism - Rejects principals saying we need government intervention to re distribute wealth **Economic Systems** Capitalism: a economic system based on private ownership of the means (where do the goods and services come from) of production and distribution of what we need in our society - In capitalism, individuals and businesses operate for profit, and the market determines prices and resource allocation - This is seen in housing as it is very driven by private operators (people are building houses to make the most money from) - The government would build houses to make houses that are more affordable; this is NOT capitalist - Competition is a key driving force - Emphasizes individual freedom - Canada prides ourselves as being a heavily capitalist society Neo-liberalism: An economic and political philosophy that advocates for limited government intervention in the economy, free-market capitalism, deregulation, and emphasis on individual freedoms. - Seeks to maximise economic efficiency through market-orientated reforms - All about very limited government intervention [Canada as a Welfare State] - States (e.g. nations, provinces, republics) differ in how they provide economic and social security to their citizens - Some nations provide (at no charge) comprehensive healthcare (medicine, hospitalization, dental care), education (preschool, post-secondary), childcare, eldercare, job retaining and fair wages - Other nations provide almost no support - Differences often reflect political leaning of the state **Definitions of the Welfare State** Definition 1 A "Welfare State" is an entity in which organized power is used to modify the play of market forces in at least three directions: - Guaranteeing individuals/families a minimum income - Narrowing health, education, income inequities amoung groups - Ensuring universal access to public services that serve basic needs Definition 2 The Welfare State is "a capitalist society in which the State \[government\] has intervened in the form of social policies, programs, standards and regulations in order to mitigate class conflict and provide for... social needs" that the free market would leave unmet. - The government making sure there are some systems to support individual rather than the intentions of the free market Definition 3 How a nation uses its laws, regulations, policies and related actions to support the living conditions of its people **Politics of the welfare state** - Canada's welfare state arose in response to citizens' calls for reform during the Depression and post-WWII - Public services became a right of Canadian citizenship rather than a commodity - Through taxes, the govt redistributed economic and social resource - "rich" pay more taxes - Taxes support healthcare - "rich" use less health care - Thus "rich: wealth supports the wealth of the "poor" - This is how there is a redistribution of wealth through taxation **3 Types of Welfare State** - Welfare state is made up financial support Social services and medical resources (medication)... the way that theses are distributed determines the type of welfare state you are in - \*\*\*These 3 definitions are not the same as the political defonitions defined earlier, they are DIFFERENT\*\*\* 1. Social Democratic: emphasizes universal welfare rights, with generous entitlements and benefits - More access to social support and social services 2. Conservative (Corporatist): ties welfare rights to social/ economic status (through insurance plans), with higher status groups securing better entitlements & benefits - Heavily relies in the church, family and traditions - Institutions (the church) step in to support individuals 3. Liberal: provides modest assistance, and only when citizens' most basic needs are not being met. Often "means-tested." Business interests trump individual needs - Canada has a very liberal welfare state - We wait until people are ALMOST on the last leg until we agree to give them help - When you are getting support is very "means tested" - If you have the money to pay you need to pay but if you don't then we can let it go because you cant afford it **Canada's Liberal Welfare State, Neoliberalism & Austerity** - Canada is a liberal welfare state - Of late, the dominance of the economic marketplace in public policy has been heightened by governments' leanings towards neoliberalism ideology and their support of austerity measures - As government scale back the economic and social supports they provide, social inequities Austerity: Scaling back of the governments role in providing economic and social support.... Usually justified as means to reduce govt deficits and debts - The government no longer providing funding for universities - Because of this, universities are deciding they will just keep raising the tuition until they cant take it anymore PODCASTS on Homelessness\ Halifax: Encampments - Two guys show up to rally resources and establish a encampment solution to help with the homeless issue - The city does not supply electricity to the encampment... the community has ben providing and donating generators - Providing the homeless with electricity and power a source of hope and let them know that someone cares for them - "enough is enough, lets get the basic rights of individuals and provide proper housing" - "this is an emergency situation, we cant even let our pets outside so how are we letting people to live in these encampments" Waterloo: Tiny Homes solutions for encampments - They help with the transition into affordable housing much faster than a encampment - Residents were saying that these were life changing experiences and "the sky is the limit" - There are 50 tiny homes with a centre to have meals, washrooms, common areas - This is an attempt to stabilize them and establish community to help lead them to the road of recovery - Once people have been there, they have been able to find them affordable housing and free up new tiny homes for others - The region has agreed to build 2,300 affordable houses in the next 5 years - This proves that when you are able to stabilize peoples lives they are able to recover and move on to affordable housing