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The Social Safety Net: Canada in Decline Book One
Canada's social safety net is fraying. Why does it feel like everything is in collapse?
Canada is at a crossroads. Neoliberalism has hollowed out and sold off the social services Canadians rely on now more than ever, and has brought into stark relief the dissonance among colonial, Indigenous, and some of Canada's most at-risk groups.
The Social Safety Net tracks the forty-year attack on Canada's social safety net. As neoliberalism has matured in Canada, Canadians are seeing the impact of these unreliable health services, crises in education and social services, and a society that feels like it is losing cohesion.
The first volume in a series by activist, author, and journalist Nora Loreto, the Canada in Decline series is the story of Canada's untenable status quo and the forces that have led us to where we are today. It outlines the choices we need to make as well as the possible paths forward to fix all that is crumbling around us.
Canada is at a crossroads. Neoliberalism has hollowed out and sold off the social services Canadians rely on now more than ever, and has brought into stark relief the dissonance among colonial, Indigenous, and some of Canada's most at-risk groups.
The Social Safety Net tracks the forty-year attack on Canada's social safety net. As neoliberalism has matured in Canada, Canadians are seeing the impact of these unreliable health services, crises in education and social services, and a society that feels like it is losing cohesion.
The first volume in a series by activist, author, and journalist Nora Loreto, the Canada in Decline series is the story of Canada's untenable status quo and the forces that have led us to where we are today. It outlines the choices we need to make as well as the possible paths forward to fix all that is crumbling around us.
272 pages, Paperback
Published September 10, 2024
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192 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 10, 2025
As Canada prepares for some turbulent times south of the border, it would be remiss not to talk about some of the political fallout within our own borders as well. An election is sure to occur by October 2025 and I wanted to do a little Election Prep for Canada, as I have done for US presidential elections in years past. We have a prime minister who has resigned due to some really poor polling numbers and a salivating Leader of the Opposition wanting to topple the tower right away for his own benefit. This entire experience could be extra fun, as there are whispers from on high in Washington that the upcoming election could be the last for Canada as a sovereign country before we become the 51st state. Let’s see where this reading journey takes us!
Nora Loteto launches into a great analysis of Canada’s social programming with this first of a series of books. She argues that Canada is in a precarious position, having taken time to create a social safety net, only to have it change drastically between neoliberals and neoconservatives. Both have their ideal views, neither of which focus solely on the core values of social programming and the Canadian citizen. Looking forward, what awaits Canadians seeking social assistance of all kinds and will groups receive balanced treatment or continue to struggle on a daily basis? This well researched piece got me thinking a great deal.
Loreto explores the emergence of social programs and the social safety net, going as far back as pre-Confederation, to show that helpful hands were always around, even without government involvement. There was a period in early parliamentary history where basic programs came to pass, but nothing as all-encompassing as many Canadians today would expect or recognize.
Once programs came into existence, it was primarily through a provincial push and pressure to get things going. Healthcare was one major area, which the feds used to toss money at and leave to the provinces, as per the British North America Act, 1867. As Loreto elucidates, once the ball got rolling, the Feds began creating stronger and more all-encompassing programs, which helped those who needed it most, but also cost a great deal.
Enter neoliberalism, which sought to halt the significant spending that was costing the government large sums. Rather, programs to have Canadians help themselves emerged and left control in their hands to ensure maximum personal success. This saw some erosion of the core social safety net programs and left some who could not handle things on their own to struggle even more.
By the time the neoconservatives came to power, they saw the mess that had been left for them and saw that it was not only a matter of programs in the hands of Canadians, but rather the need to gut everything in order to climb out of debt. Rather than leave something for Canadians, neoconservatives removed all and left Canadians to steer their own ship. While this was fiscally responsible and kept the government from punishing its citizens with large-scale taxation or debt, it left the typical Canadian without programs needed to keep their households afloat. This has been the recent state of affairs, as unexpected happenings have left things in a dire state. Loreto posits that the future is bleak unless governments get back to helping.
Nora Loreto makes clear that Canada is definitely in decline, leaving an untenable status quo.
There is a need for major changes, though it appears anyone at the helm or looking to take over is too stuck on slashing rather than spending. Loreto used well-developed arguments and easy to understand chapters to make her point, which helped me a great deal as I sought to understand some of the more technical happenings. She is blunt and yet respectful, which makes for a great reading and understanding. I am eager to keep on kt journey and may be back for more, as Nora Loreto appears to have a second book in this series to share more information.
Kudos, Madam Loreto, for an ominous look at Canada into the 21st century.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Nora Loteto launches into a great analysis of Canada’s social programming with this first of a series of books. She argues that Canada is in a precarious position, having taken time to create a social safety net, only to have it change drastically between neoliberals and neoconservatives. Both have their ideal views, neither of which focus solely on the core values of social programming and the Canadian citizen. Looking forward, what awaits Canadians seeking social assistance of all kinds and will groups receive balanced treatment or continue to struggle on a daily basis? This well researched piece got me thinking a great deal.
Loreto explores the emergence of social programs and the social safety net, going as far back as pre-Confederation, to show that helpful hands were always around, even without government involvement. There was a period in early parliamentary history where basic programs came to pass, but nothing as all-encompassing as many Canadians today would expect or recognize.
Once programs came into existence, it was primarily through a provincial push and pressure to get things going. Healthcare was one major area, which the feds used to toss money at and leave to the provinces, as per the British North America Act, 1867. As Loreto elucidates, once the ball got rolling, the Feds began creating stronger and more all-encompassing programs, which helped those who needed it most, but also cost a great deal.
Enter neoliberalism, which sought to halt the significant spending that was costing the government large sums. Rather, programs to have Canadians help themselves emerged and left control in their hands to ensure maximum personal success. This saw some erosion of the core social safety net programs and left some who could not handle things on their own to struggle even more.
By the time the neoconservatives came to power, they saw the mess that had been left for them and saw that it was not only a matter of programs in the hands of Canadians, but rather the need to gut everything in order to climb out of debt. Rather than leave something for Canadians, neoconservatives removed all and left Canadians to steer their own ship. While this was fiscally responsible and kept the government from punishing its citizens with large-scale taxation or debt, it left the typical Canadian without programs needed to keep their households afloat. This has been the recent state of affairs, as unexpected happenings have left things in a dire state. Loreto posits that the future is bleak unless governments get back to helping.
Nora Loreto makes clear that Canada is definitely in decline, leaving an untenable status quo.
There is a need for major changes, though it appears anyone at the helm or looking to take over is too stuck on slashing rather than spending. Loreto used well-developed arguments and easy to understand chapters to make her point, which helped me a great deal as I sought to understand some of the more technical happenings. She is blunt and yet respectful, which makes for a great reading and understanding. I am eager to keep on kt journey and may be back for more, as Nora Loreto appears to have a second book in this series to share more information.
Kudos, Madam Loreto, for an ominous look at Canada into the 21st century.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
March 17, 2024
So this book hasn't even come out yet and somehow a bunch of douchebags already rated it 1star?
June 29, 2025
Was looking for a Canadian version of some of the more global (cough cough american) political books I've been reading and this hit the spot.
I liked the writing, even though at times you could tell that Loretto is a millennial. Also a drinking game where you drink everytime she uses the word 'underpins' may result in death.
Excited for the next entry in the series, but going to wait a bit because this book left me throughly depressed - despite Loretto's best attempts to be hopeful.
I liked the writing, even though at times you could tell that Loretto is a millennial. Also a drinking game where you drink everytime she uses the word 'underpins' may result in death.
Excited for the next entry in the series, but going to wait a bit because this book left me throughly depressed - despite Loretto's best attempts to be hopeful.
January 24, 2025
Maybe a bit too ambitious, feel like it could have taken a deeper dive on a lot of things. But I guess that’s why it’s part of a serious. Loreto correctly diagnoses Canada’s decline and offers the right ideas for solutions. Good read if you want to be justifiably angry for a few days. Done outdated 2010s idpol stuff like saying “white privilege” is inheritance and debt free education. If that’s the case I really missed out.
July 12, 2025
Honestly if you dont need convincing that politicans of all stripes are only out for themselves and neoliberalism and pushing public services to private contractors is failing Canadians, you can skip at least the first 6 of 7 chapters, if not the whole book entirely. If you do need convincing, this book still isnt for you.
TLDR: eat the rich
TLDR: eat the rich
November 26, 2025
It was amazing to read a book that validates what I've been suspecting for years. If you have been feeling burnt out, broke, struggling more than you should be, underpaid, and basically anything else that gets impacted by systemic politics—this book explains why. Loreto does not hold back on anyone, describing how specific policies have harmed the average Canadian while benefitting the rich, and how they are disguised as good for everyone when the opposite is true. The reach of capitalism and neoliberalism from the market into the government is frankly disturbing, and to have a book that finally talks about these things without sugar-coating them or watering them down like the politicians themselves do makes it hard to deny what Loreto is saying.
January 11, 2025
Between Canada’s relatively tiny population and the concentration of media in the hands of very few major corporations, there's a paucity of people's histories of our own country. Nora Loreto’s book on the decline of Canada’s social safety net attempts to fill this crucial vacuum. After all, how do we improve the systems we have — from education to housing to healthcare and beyond — if we don’t understand how we got here?
This work is broad in scope, and provides an approachable overview. I’d therefore recommend it to a curious leftist hoping to get caught up to speed on the basic beats of Canada’s history. How were social services organized before the welfare state was created? How did the welfare state come about? What were the major turning points in Canada’s neoliberal journey (particularly the Mulroney government of the 1980s and the 1995 Chrétien-Martin budget)? What sorts of rhetoric and political strategy does neoliberalism harness to push through its unpopular reforms?
Loreto focuses on the welfare state, and I understand the need for a writer to draw boundaries around their work somewhere. However, by not discussing production of resources and focusing only on expenditure of resources, Loreto’s polemics read a little utopian. Every subsidy to a corporation and every tax cut is criticized because the money could have gone to direct transfers to lower income people or other social programs. Questions of money are dismissed as unreal:
The deficit, the result of a fiscal imbalance between state revenues and state expenses, became as important, if not more important, than things that actually mattered and were real, like whether or not someone could afford groceries or access surgery.
I agree with Loreto that it is deplorable that our government has aided the accumulation of massive amounts of wealth in the hands of the few. However, to meet the needs of everyone in our country, we need to ensure the long-term health of our country’s economy. I would have liked to see more discussion of state-owned enterprises or other investments that would lead to improved productivity so that we can reduce our working hours and care for those who cannot work. We cannot leave “thinking seriously about the economy as a whole” to the neoliberals while we get dismissed as unserious thinkers who just want welfare handouts. That does not garner trust in our ability to govern.
A further boundary is quietly drawn geographically. The US's gravity means it cannot be excluded from this history, however — puzzlingly — most of the rest of the world is. The demoralization of the left and the increased aggressiveness of neoliberalism after 1990 (both noted by Loreto) should both be viewed in the context of the dissolution of the world's first worker state (that is, the USSR), an event Loreto mentions only in passing. Canada is so small, we have to understand our history in a global context and not as a nation that just occupies the shadow of the US because our future certainly lies in international cooperation, not tying ourselves to a sinking empire.
Still, this book fills a void. Although its economic analysis falls somewhat short of what I had hoped for, as a history of Canadian rhetoric around social services it succeeds quite well. I smiled when Loreto turned one of neoliberalism’s favourite values on its head, concluding “Yes, sometimes even radical ideas are common sense.”
September 2, 2024
There's a type of catch phrase you'll hear from time to time, from one political party or another, or a follower of said parties or leaders: Things are getting worse; Old ways are gone or going. Think: MAGA, or, Take Back Canada. All sorts of scare tactics. Anytime there's an election we get to hear them again. The Social Safety Net, by Nora Loreto, may be the first book in a series called Canada In Decline but it most certainly isn't an empty motto meant to play on your ignorance.
Rather, it is a researched and nuanced evisceration of all the lies we tell ourselves about how great Canada is. It doesn't stop there though, it sets the foundation for imagining a better Canada, one that more resembles the imaginary one we pretend to have.
Beginning with Brian Mulroney, Loreto shows us how Neoliberalism entered Canada. She then tracks how each subsequent leader enhanced it or solidified it, even when they told you they were doing something else.
Loreto explains how the decline of the social safety net is connected to health services, education, social services. She shows readers that everything they have known for the last 40 years has been part of the same trajectory: power being shifted away from collectives of people and toward financial markets.
After detailing the decay of the social safety net, she points out that the social safety net is tied to colonialism and white supremacist ideas. As a “Registered Status Indian” in Canada, I thoroughly enjoyed this part. The foundation of this country is exploitation and settling of land by and for white people. The country has systematically kept other groups marginalized even as they brought them in to build it.
This is an important and relevant book that will only increase in relevance as we continue declining. It is also quite easy to read and follow along, considering the topic, so I hope folks pick this one up. I look forward to the rest of the series.
Rather, it is a researched and nuanced evisceration of all the lies we tell ourselves about how great Canada is. It doesn't stop there though, it sets the foundation for imagining a better Canada, one that more resembles the imaginary one we pretend to have.
Beginning with Brian Mulroney, Loreto shows us how Neoliberalism entered Canada. She then tracks how each subsequent leader enhanced it or solidified it, even when they told you they were doing something else.
Loreto explains how the decline of the social safety net is connected to health services, education, social services. She shows readers that everything they have known for the last 40 years has been part of the same trajectory: power being shifted away from collectives of people and toward financial markets.
After detailing the decay of the social safety net, she points out that the social safety net is tied to colonialism and white supremacist ideas. As a “Registered Status Indian” in Canada, I thoroughly enjoyed this part. The foundation of this country is exploitation and settling of land by and for white people. The country has systematically kept other groups marginalized even as they brought them in to build it.
This is an important and relevant book that will only increase in relevance as we continue declining. It is also quite easy to read and follow along, considering the topic, so I hope folks pick this one up. I look forward to the rest of the series.
April 26, 2025
Nora Loreto does an excellent job in cataloguing Canada's decline into the pit of neoliberalism. For the uninitiated, a bare bones explanation of the term is that Keynesian economics was the idea that the power of government could be used to alter markets in service of the people, whereas neoliberalism is the devolution of that idea, namely in the capacity that the tools of government are best utilized in service of markets.
Loreto ably dissects and dismisses our governing classes slavish devotion to markets. She lays out the long history which has brought Canada to this point, where our politicians basically treat the public purse as an endless bag of carrots for the corporate class, deluded that the only measure of social health is that the GDP continues to grow, blissfully unaware of how trickle-down-economics-brained that is. She decries our governments unwillingness to take big swings and carve out a place for itself in those market spheres, instead electing to sell off services and crown corporations and basically anything that allows people some semblance of democratic control in the market place.
While I agree with all of the fantastic deconstruction and most of the analysis throughout the book, I do think she went a little harder on the MAID issue than I would personally. I won't get into the nitty gritty here. I wrote an article in the Winnipeg Free Press on the matter if anyone were so inclined to get my specific thoughts and see where I deviate from Loreto.
But all in all, I appreciated this book not only as a thorough examination, but also an effective call to action. The Canadian election takes place in just a couple days from my writing this, and while I know this book would fall on deaf ears with a Conservative government, I wish this would be required reading for a Liberal one.
Loreto ably dissects and dismisses our governing classes slavish devotion to markets. She lays out the long history which has brought Canada to this point, where our politicians basically treat the public purse as an endless bag of carrots for the corporate class, deluded that the only measure of social health is that the GDP continues to grow, blissfully unaware of how trickle-down-economics-brained that is. She decries our governments unwillingness to take big swings and carve out a place for itself in those market spheres, instead electing to sell off services and crown corporations and basically anything that allows people some semblance of democratic control in the market place.
While I agree with all of the fantastic deconstruction and most of the analysis throughout the book, I do think she went a little harder on the MAID issue than I would personally. I won't get into the nitty gritty here. I wrote an article in the Winnipeg Free Press on the matter if anyone were so inclined to get my specific thoughts and see where I deviate from Loreto.
But all in all, I appreciated this book not only as a thorough examination, but also an effective call to action. The Canadian election takes place in just a couple days from my writing this, and while I know this book would fall on deaf ears with a Conservative government, I wish this would be required reading for a Liberal one.
August 19, 2024
Gifted this book by a friend. I love the idea of reevaluating the floundering myth that Canada is a exemplary social democracy. But this is not it. If I had to guess, Nora assumes Canadians are dumb, and if they only had access to the right narratives, they'd change their minds. This delusion comes from acute internet poisoning.
And for what it's worth, folks like Nora hoping to reach a mass audience should probably not endlessly antagonize people online—especially refugees (WTF?). I review books all the time on here, but using a secondary account this time because the kind of people Nora appeals to are usually unhinged tankies and I don't trust them.
Being cruel to people who don't agree with you—or correct you when you're wrong—is not a good look for the left. This book tries to convince you lives are at stake, and they are, but if you have even the faintest sense of who Nora is IRL, you know she's perfectly fine with some people suffering.
Fwiw, I gave it a 2. I think it's a decently written book, but save yourself the bother and just read Raymond B. Blake, instead of the re-heated attempt.
And for what it's worth, folks like Nora hoping to reach a mass audience should probably not endlessly antagonize people online—especially refugees (WTF?). I review books all the time on here, but using a secondary account this time because the kind of people Nora appeals to are usually unhinged tankies and I don't trust them.
Being cruel to people who don't agree with you—or correct you when you're wrong—is not a good look for the left. This book tries to convince you lives are at stake, and they are, but if you have even the faintest sense of who Nora is IRL, you know she's perfectly fine with some people suffering.
Fwiw, I gave it a 2. I think it's a decently written book, but save yourself the bother and just read Raymond B. Blake, instead of the re-heated attempt.
November 23, 2024
I enjoyed this book. It was an accessible critique of neoliberal politics in Canada. It is certainly not intended to be objective or neutral in its delivery, and that made it feel real and interesting.
I really liked the separation of federal and provincial/territorial politics. It helped to tease out some of the jurisdictional complexity. But, I felt like I was left wanting more from the “ways forward” at the end of the book. It felt like rapid fire of ideas when I was hoping for a road map for organizing.
All in, I would recommend and I’m looking forward to reading the next books in the series.
I really liked the separation of federal and provincial/territorial politics. It helped to tease out some of the jurisdictional complexity. But, I felt like I was left wanting more from the “ways forward” at the end of the book. It felt like rapid fire of ideas when I was hoping for a road map for organizing.
All in, I would recommend and I’m looking forward to reading the next books in the series.
February 16, 2025
Nora Loreto has undertaken an ambitious project: a three volume analysis of the decline of Canada due to neoliberalism and colonialism. The only thing that made me hesitate to give this book 5 stars is that I wish it was better supported and footnoted -- Loreto relies much more on news articles than more authoritative sources, and some chapters depend almost entirely on a single source. Nonetheless, this is an impressive work that hopefully sparks a much needed discussion in Canada. The chapters where Loreto advances her own argument (e.g. instead of relaying the history of social services in Canada) are where she truly shines. I look forward to volumes 2 and 3.
November 12, 2024
I really love how Nora connects a bunch of ideas and issues we as Canadians are presently facing, and reveals the connective tissue of neoliberalism, colonialism, and capitalism at the core of the disintegration of public services in this country. A fascinating, infuriating read. This also feels like a book which I would take even more away from after a second (maybe even third?) reading. Lots to digest, but presented in a way that makes it easy to follow
October 4, 2024
"There is no better issue that encapsulates the current moment than expanded MAID. Politicians, knowing that expanded MAID will save the healthcare system money, have run toward expanding suicide rather than running toward changing the healthcare system."
December 14, 2024
This was a great read! Part history of the creation and dismantling of the social safety net in Canada, part political analysis, part blueprint for the way forward. Nora's analyses are insightful, well researched, and spot on, as always.
February 9, 2025
Meticulous and detailed without being too dry. An excellent take on why nothing ever gets better in Canada anymore.
I read it immediately after George Monbiot's Secret History of Neoliberalism, and they are a good pair.
I read it immediately after George Monbiot's Secret History of Neoliberalism, and they are a good pair.
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November 21, 2024Really eye-opening read on the history of Canada's services since the 70s. Felt like it wasn't entirely a neutral perspective, so would expect some stronger right-wing critiques.
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