ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at those features of the Canada Health Act and its companion legislation that make them so successful. It outlines some of the hurdles to be overcome in developing social care policies that promote equity across the different family situations that characterize the aging Canadian population. The piece of legislation that people think of when they laud the Canadian health care system is the Canada Health Act of 1984 which brought together the Hospital Insurance and Diagnostic Services Act of 1957 and the Medical Care Act of 1966. The financing of long-term care reflects the historical struggle of federal and provincial authority that characterizes the Canadian political economy. In Canada the term “healthy public policy” has emerged in recent years to capture these ideas. Welfare pluralists envision a variety of providers; the state, voluntary agencies, private markets, and informal networks. Consistent with the pluralist model is the vision of the state as enabler and partner.
