Canadian Review of Social Policy (CRSP) / Revue canadienne de politique sociale (RCSP)

Clarke, Tony

The MAI Threat to Canada's Social Programs

Fay, Jeanne

Nova Scotia

Havemann, Paul

Comparing the Policy of Aboriginal Assimilation: Australia, Canada and New Zealand, by Andrew Armitage

Groulx, Lionel-H.

Sociologie de l'association: des organisations à l'épreuve du changement social, de J.L. Laville et R. Sainsaulieu (dir.)

Bella, Leslie

Brown, Bev

Newfoundland and Labrador

Skelton, Ian

Welfare Pluralism: Perspectives on Potentialities

Shragge, Eric

Community Organizing — Canadain Experiences, edited by Brian Wharf and Michael Clague

Swanson, Jean

British Columbia

Torjman, Sherri

"Civil Society: Reclaiming our Humanity" — A Debate — Sherri Torjman, Response to Comment on "Civil Society: Reclaiming our Humanity"

Introduction 
The Canadian Review of Social Policy at a Crossroads 
Several major problems have arisen for the Review. First, the Review has 
had difficulty increasing the numbers of subscriptions beyond its historic high 
of 400. However 400 does not provide sufficient funds to cover the costs of 
production. Current subscription revenue covers about one third of revenue. 
Second, the Review has faced increasing expenditures like many small publi- 
cations. Efforts are being made and will continue to reduce expenditures, but 
they cannot be brought down sufficiently to reach break even under present 
conditions. Third, the Review has not had the material coming to it that it 
needs and should be receiving. In the last several years the Working Group 
and the Review's staff have put in considerable effort to recruit contributors 
and materials. 
Fourth, the Review does not have a reference group to assist in building 
a larger subscription base. Since its founding the Review has been produced 
by an independent editorial team with no connection to any association. It 
was founded as a newsletter to be circulated among members of the Cana- 
dian Association of Schools of Social Work (CASSW) who met at the annual 
meetings in 1976. It has not had any connection with the CASSW since then. 
From this humble beginning the newsletter, produced at the University of 
Regina, progressed through several stages until in 1984 it acquired a Board 
of Directors and a more polished professional look. By 1988 it had become 
an academic journal with a few hundred subscribers and a section for referred 
articles. While it still has a national advisory board, it is in need of a reference 
group that will play an active role in solving the Review's problems. 
Fifth, the Review does not have external funding. During the 1980s the 
Review was partially supported by the Welfare Grants Section of the Min- 
istry of Health and Welfare through the Social Administration Research Unit 
of the University of Regina. In the early 1990s when CRSP moved to Ottawa 
it obtained independent funding from Welfare Grants. But with the termi- 
nation of that program in 1994 it lost its core funding. The Employability 
and Social Partnerships program of the federal Ministry of Human Resources 
Development that succeeded Welfare Grants is not mandated to provide core 
funding to projects like the Review. 
The Review needs renewal: an infusion of new subscriptions, external 
cash, more material, and a more active board. 
The Social Policy Conference 
For the last ten years the biannual Social Policy Conference has been a major 
venue for discussion of social policy issues in Canada. Originating at  the 
University of Calgary in the early 1980s, it was revived by a Toronto-based 
organizing committee as a national meeting with an open call for papers. 
The first reformed conference, with a committee made up of several Review 
Board members, was held in October 1989 at the Ontario Institute for Studies 
in Education. Since that time meetings have been held in 1991 at Bishop's 
University, in 1993 at  Memorial University in St. Johns, in 1995 in Vancouver, 
and in 1997 at the University of Regina. The 1999 meetings will take place 
in Montreal. 
Since the conference left the University of Calgary it has not had a per- 
manent home nor any guarantee of continuity. The staff of Welfare Grants 
and later Social and Community Partnerships Branch of Human Resources 
Development Canada have played an important role in assuring continuity. 
But as the role of the Branch changes and the activities inherited from Wel- 
fare Grants fall away they are not likely to be in a position to continue this 
role. The organizing teams from each city have played a role in trying to 
ensure that a new site is found for the next conference. But it is likely time to 
establish a permanent secretariat to ensure the continuity of the conference. 
Early Social Policy Conferences led to the publication of a single book 
with additional material available for the Review. More recently with multiple 
books resulting from the conferences, the Review is not receiving the material 
that it should. 
Can the problems of the Review and the Conference be solved in a way 
that would bring them together so that two important institutions in the 
social policy field in Canada could support each other and together survive? 
Each needs a method of ensuring that it is responsible to the field, that it has 
continuity and financial viability. 
So here is a proposal for solving the problems outlined above. With the 
agreement of the Montreal Conference Organizing Committee, time has been 
set aside at the Montreal meetings on Wednesday afternoon, June 23,1999, to 
discuss this proposal. We hope that you will consider attending this meeting 
and supporting this call for the establishment of an Association. We welcome 
commentary on this proposal. Please write or email us in the next few months 
before the meetings. 
A Proposal for the Canadian Review of Social Policy and the 
Biannual Social Policy Conference 
1. Social Policy Association/Association de politique social 
Establish a Canadian Social Policy Association/Association de politique 
social, a membership body to be founded at the Montreal Biannual Social 
Policy Conference. The Association would elect its own governing council 
at the Biannual Social Policy Conference. 
2. Biannual Meetings of the Association 
The Association would have a business meeting at  the Biannual Social 
Policy Conference. The Governing Council would be obligated to present 
a biannual report and a funding report. 
3. Governing Council 
The Association would elect a governing council of 10 that would have 
responsibility for both the Biannual Social Policy Conference and for the 
Canadian Review of Social Policy. The Governing Council would ensure 
that a venue is selected and an Organizing Committee is established for 
subsequent conferences. The Governing Council would also be responsible 
for appointing an Advisory Committee and an Editorial Working Group 
for the Canadian Review of Social Policy. 
4. Membership in the Association 
Membership in the Association would be both individual and organiza- 
tional. The members of the Association would establish the membership 
fee. A portion of registration fees for the Biannual Social Policy Confer- 
ence would be put towards membership in the Social Policy Association. 
Membership would be for a two-year period. Members could also join at 
any time. 
5 .  The Canadian Review of Social Policy 
A portion of the Conference fee would be directed to a subscription to 
the Canadian Review of Social Policy/Revue canadienne de politique so- 
cial. Papers and presentations from the Biannual Conference would be 
directed to the review for potential publication either in a special volume 
of proceedings or in the Review itself. This would help to ensure the 
viability of the Review and solve the problems noted above. Nonetheless 
the Review will still have to make some difficult decisions about how to 
proceed towards ensuring that revenues match expenditures. 
Allan Moscovitch 


English

Introduction

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