Moving beyond laissez - faire, democratic governments have also formed safety nets for those who can not compete effectively, regulated workplaces to protect worker safety, and
guaranteed universal access to education and health services.
Key policies include introducing a
Guaranteed Annual Income; ensuring
universal access to quality childcare and early childhood
education; cutting debt for post-secondary students; honouring the Kelowna Accord with Aboriginals; expanding the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual Canadians; and easing the income support levels required for immigrant family sponsorship.
This is the modest sum which needs
to be invested each year in «social support»
to guarantee universal access to drinking water within ten years (1,300 million individuals did not have
access in 1997),
universal access to basic
education (1,000 million people are illiterate),
universal access to basic healthcare (17 million children die each year from easily cured illnesses),
universal access to adequate nourishment (2,000 million people suffer from anemia),
universal access to sanitary infrastructures and
universal access for women
to gynecological and obstetric care.
Our country was first
to provide
universal access to free
education,
to guarantee equal opportunities for all children,
to unify (not separate) a diverse population and
to improve social conditions.