BUILDING BACK BETTER: Forging a post-pandemic social contract that works for all

A weekly series of on-line moderated discussions between August 25 and September 10, 2020

2020 Queen’s social policy conference will explore how Canada and other OECD countries can rethink and reset critical building blocks of social policy in light of the fault lines exposed by the current crisis.

SESSION 5 - Rethinking social protection and the care economy

For many, one of the greatest challenges of the pandemic lockdown has been the juggling of work and care - care for children, family with special needs, and/or the elderly. The crisis has shed light on the responsibility challenges families face. The crisis has also sharpened the divide between the “have & have-nots” in our societies.  It has also demonstrated the particular vulnerabilities of the caregivers, often racialized and immigrant women, in both the formal and informal sectors, at home or in institutions.  Can the pandemic lead societies to design stronger systems of social protection and stronger valuation of those who provide the care?Speakers:

• Andrea Doucet, Professor, Canada Research Chair in Gender, Work & Care, Brock University
• Ito Peng, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Global Social Policy, UofT
• Samir Sinha, Director of Geriatrics, Mount Sinai and the University Health Network Hospitals

Moderator:  Janet Menard, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, Ontario