Sweden’s System of Government
In Sweden the Prime Minister, liberal conservative Moderate Party John Fredrik Reinfeldt, and the Cabinet ministers form the system of Government (Sweden, 2014). Under the Constitution, the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag) makes decision and the Swedish Government and not the head of state, or the monarch, is empowered to implement the decisions (Sweden, 2014). Very similar to the three tiers of Canadian government, Sweden’s government has three levels of government: national, regional and local (Sweden, 2014)
Canada’s System of Government
Canada is a democratic constitutional monarchy, with a Sovereign as head of State, which is Queen Elizabeth II (Government of Canada, 2013). Queen Elizabeth II is the Monarch, Leader of Commonwealth, Canada’s formal Head of State and the head of both the executive and legislative branches (Government of Canada, 2013). Canada has an elected Prime Minister, currently Progressive Conservative Stephen Harper, as head of government. Canada has three tiers within a federal system of parliamentary government, in which the federal, provincial and territorial governments share responsibilities and carry out functions (Government of Canada, 2013).
Welfare State Regime’s
As a means to ensure a thorough and comprehensive comparative analysis is achieved between Canada and Sweden’s childcare policies, it is essential that I provide a social welfare regime framework for each country. I will begin by describing the three different types of welfare states, as well as provide an overview of how four key spheres interrelate within the operations of welfare regimes. Welfare state can be defined as the government’s action or inaction to support, protect (or control) citizens ...
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...(2007). Canada's social policy regime and women: An assessment of the last decade. Ottawa: Status of Women Canada, Ottawa.
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Government of Canada. (2013, 12 18). Government of Canada. Retrieved 03 16, 2014, from How Government Works: http://canada.ca/en/gov/system/index.html
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Olsen, G. M. (1999). Half empty or half full? the swedish welfare state in transition. The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology , 36 (2), 241-267.
Olson, G. M. (2007). Toward Global Welfare State Convergence?: Family Policy and Health Care in Sweden, Canada and the United States. Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare, 34(2), 143-164. , 34 (2), 143-164.
Sweden. (2014, 02 04). Retrieved 03 16, 2014, from The Swedish Sytem of Government: http://sweden.se/society/the-swedish-system-of-government/#start
In Canada, women make up slightly more than half of the population. However, throughout Canadian history and modern day, women are needing to stand up for themselves and other women to bring about change. Canadian women are strong and have the power to work together and bring about change. Jennie Trout stood up for Canadian women that wanted to be in the medical field, women during WWI made a difference in their lives by entering the workplace and standing for their right to work, Nellie McClung was a leader for women’s suffrage, and The Famous Five campaigned and won The “Persons” Case allowing women to be considered persons under the Canadian Constitution. These women were instigators of change. Change for women only occurs when ambitious and courageous women stand up for a difference that they deserve.
The history of welfare systems dates back to ancient China and Rome, some of the first institutions known to have established some form of a welfare system. In both of these nations, their governments created projects to provide food and aid to poor, unemployed, or unable families and individuals, however these were based on “moral responsibility.” Later in history, in 1500’s England, parliament passed laws that held the monarchy responsible for providing assistance to needy families by providing jobs and financial aid. These became known as “poor laws” (Issitt).
Morris, M. (2000). Some facts and dates in Canadian women’s history of the 20th century. Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, 20(1). Retrieved from http://criaw-icref.ca/millenium.
A monarchy is a form of government in which a single individual holds all the power in government. Since 1918 Britain has been governed in a Democratic system but held a lot of the same customs that it had when it was a monarchy (like a royal family etc.). Canada was a part of the British Monarchy when it was still around and unfortunately is still a part of the monarchy system that remains in Britain today. In 1867 the British North America Act was established and formed the Dominion of Canada by Queen Victoria. Since then Canada has grown to have its own customs and traditions but Britain’s crown is unitary throughout all jurisdictions in Canada. Queen Elizabeth the second is the sovereign of Canada she is the head of state; she must remain neutral politically in Canada and govern the people of Canada according to their respective laws and customs. The question too many Canadians today is whether or not Canada should abolish the British Monarchy in Canada. Many Canadians feel the monarchy is considered purely ceremonial and lacks legitimacy; attachments to the monarchy in Canada mostly just exists in older Canadians, younger generations in Canada have different views which support that the monarchy should be abolished in Canada.
“Honey, you’re not a person, now get back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich!” If a husband were to say these words to his wife today, he would likely receive a well-deserved smack to the face. It is not until recently that Canadian women have received their status as people and obtained equal rights as men. Women were excluded from an academic education and received a lesser pay than their male counter parts. With the many hardships women had to face, women were considered the “slave of slaves” (Women’s Rights). In the past century, women have fought for their rights, transitioning women from the point of being a piece of property to “holding twenty-five percent of senior positions in Canada” (More women in top senior positions: Report). The Married Women’s Property Act, World War I, The Person’s Case, and Canadian Human Rights Act have gained Canadian women their rights.
Magoon, Kekla. The Welfare Debate. Edina: ABDO Publishing Company, Inc. 2009. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Print.
Esping-Anderson (1990) describes different kinds of welfare state regime types in his book “three worlds of the welfare capitalism”. His book is one of the most cited books in welfare state literature. This is because of all the good things Esping-Anderson states in his book, but also because of some arguments which are considered controversial according to some authors (see Bambra, 2007 for detailed critique). Before elaborating on the critique on Esping-Anderson, his welfare state regime types will be further elaborated on.
From 1960 to 1990 the women’s movement in Canada played a significant role in history concerning the revolution of women’s rights. Although it was a long road coming for them, they were able to achieve the rights they deserved. Women struggled for equality rights to men but primarily their rights as a person. Since the 1960s women’s rights had significantly changed, they had to work hard for the rights that they have in the present day. Females across the nation started speaking out against gender inequality, divorce, and abortion. This uprising coincided with the Women’s Movement. Through the Royal Commission on the status of women they were able to gain equality rights and they were able to have access to legal abortions through the Charter Rights of Freedom and obtain no-fault divorce through the Divorce Act of 1986.
Berkowicz, B. (2001). “Prospecting Among the Poor: Welfare Privatization.” Welfare AdvocacyResearch Project (WARP). Retrieved from the World Wide Web:.
Karen Bridget Murray’s article, “Governing ‘Unwed Mothers’ in Toronto at the Turn of the Twentieth Century”, is a valuable reference into the struggles and triumphs of social welfare for unwed mothers. For me the article highlighted how government ideologies influence social welfare, how important the change from religious reformers practices to social work was and finally how appalling it is that the struggles and barriers these women faced are still relevant to single mothers today.
"Social Welfare Policymaking Chapter Summary." Government in America People, Politics, and Policy. Pearson Longman, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. .
Lewis, S. (11 December, 2013). Without a Safety Net: What kind of country do Canadians
Canada has a central government designed to deal with the country as a whole. Things like national defense, banking, currency, and commerce are controlled by the central government. All other matters are left to the provinces to deal with. Such as education, hospitals, and civil rights are responsibilities of the states. The Canadian Parliament consists of two houses. Their Senate is made up of 104 members who serve until the age of seventy-five.
Blackburn, S (1995) 'How useful are feminist theories of the welfare state?’ Women's History Review, 4(3), pp. 369-394.
The power structure of Norway is probably one of the few areas that are quite different from that of most other free countries. Norway is a constitutional monarchy. The king has limited authority, except as head of the military and as a symbol of continuity and stability. Executive power is vested in the prime minister, who presides over the dominant party in the country’s parliament (Storting). The 165 members of parliament are elected every four years. The Storting has an Upper Chamber (Lagting) and a Lower Chamber (Odelsting). The Labor, Center, and Conservative parties are the largest in parliament, but no party has a majority. Another similar note is that all citizens may vote at age 18. Norway also has 19 provinces (fylker). Norway enjoys a strong economy, and has one of the highest standards of living in the world.