Canada social programs

Provides funds to identified service providers to help provide non-medical, social support services to people living on-reserve with chronic illness or disability. Learn about funding available for organizations and projects that support urban Indigenous peoples. The Child First Initiative ensures Inuit children have access to the essential products, services and supports they need. Funding to provide prevention and well-being services for First Nations children and families on reserves and in Yukon.

Skip to main content Skip to "About this site". First Nations Child and Family Services Funds prevention and protection services to support the safety and well-being of First Nation children and families on reserve. Family Violence Prevention Program Supports 46 shelters, as well as funding for community-driven proposals for family violence prevention projects. Income assistance programs make direct payments to individuals.

Services-based social programs provide services that support personal, social and emotional well-being. These include health care, housing and education. Some of these programs also make one-time direct payments to individuals in the form of a grant or rebate.

Individuals need a Social Insurance Number SIN issued by the federal government to access income assistance programs and services-based social programs.

The Employment Insurance EI program provides temporary financial support to citizens in case of unexpected job loss, illness or injury. If workers lose their job through no fault of their own, they are eligible to apply for regular benefits.

If workers cannot work due to illness or injury, they are eligible for sickness benefits. These agencies provide insurance coverage to workers who suffer from work-related injury or illness. They are funded entirely by employers. The Employment Insurance EI program provides financial support to workers who leave work due to pregnancy or the birth of a child. Parents who leave work to care for a newborn or newly adopted child may apply for maternity or parental leave benefits.

Parental leave can be shared between parents. The EI program also provides Caregiving Benefits to workers who leave work to take care of a family member who is critically injured, ill or in need of end-of-life care. The Child Disability Benefit CDB is available to families with a child under 18 who has an ongoing severe impairment in mental or physical function see also Disability.

This payment is called a pension. The amount of OAS pension a citizen receives depends on how long they have lived in Canada after the age of The Canada Pension Plan CPP is a monthly payment made to Canadians and their families to partially replace their income after retirement, disability or death. Working Canadians make regular payments to the CPP in order to be eligible. A worker under age 65 who becomes severely disabled and unable to work is eligible for disability benefits.

Income support programs provide financial assistance and employment assistance to people in financial need. They are a last-resort source of income if all other sources are not enough for a person to support themself.

The provinces and territories run these programs. Income support programs also provide employment assistance. This includes job counselling, training and access to education through various channels. See also Poverty. Health Canada is a federal institution that helps Canadians live healthy lives. It has different branches that provide health services and information.

Citizens and permanent residents need provincial or territorial health cards also called care cards to access health services. The federal government directly provides health support to certain groups of people, including members of the Canadian Armed Forces and inmates in federal prisons.

See Health Policy. The federal government created the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in to help improve access to housing for all Canadians, including those with lower incomes and special needs. Several policies exist to help homeowners with the cost of purchasing shelter.

These include grants and rebates for homeowners and low-cost public housing. Subsidized housing exists throughout Canada, but policies differ in each province and territory. The provinces and territories fund and deliver primary and secondary public education see Public School. Students pay tuition for post-secondary education. Post-secondary education is also subsidized by the federal and provincial governments. Canada Student Grants and Loans helps post-secondary students with the cost of tuition.

The federal government offers apprenticeship loans for training in the trades and tuition support for student athletes. This program helps families save for post-secondary education. See Financial Aid to Students. The provincial and federal governments fund legal aid programs, which are run by the provinces and territories.

These programs help people with low incomes access legal services for criminal , immigration and refugee cases. Child welfare programs in Canada provide services whose main goal is the protection of children from abuse and neglect. They also support family stability to keep children with their birth families whenever possible.

These programs include education, health care and family and child welfare. Indigenous Services Canada aims to support Indigenous peoples in independently delivering social programs within their communities.