The Social Safety Net

In the first book of a new series, Loreto (Spin Doctors) argues that the past 40 years of neoliberalism has left social services (and other programs designed to help Canadians) in an untenable state. The cohost of the Sandy and Nora Talk Politics podcast lays out the long history of what society now views as Canada’s social safety net and reminds readers that it has never really been available to all. Her book traces a line from the century-old concept of “the deserving poor,” which developed into the “commonsense” politics of the 1980s and used balanced budgets to justify widespread exclusion. Today, the social safety net remains an important element of the national imaginary, but in reality, there is virtually no support left, Loreto argues. She illuminates the many ways that Canada’s right turn in policy has failed vast sections of its population. Loreto’s writing style is catchy and clever, and her critique of social policy based in neoliberalism is well-founded.