Tools for an Inclusive Ontario

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5: Defining Social and Economic Inclusion in Canada

Although Social and Economic Inclusion has been used as a concept in the European Union, Britain, and Canada, the question of the definition of the term remains a challenge. The Europeans tend to focus on exclusion and social outcomes, the British have politically narrowed the definition to focus on employment, while the Canadian efforts to this point have tried to create a broader approach, based on the reality of our peoples and communities.

The Laidlaw Foundation is supporting a consortium of agencies who are undertaking an interesting process to create cohesive social and economic inclusion indices for national, provincial, and local usages. The process, which began in March, 2003, has yet to make any definitive statements, but participants indicate that the challenge of definition remains a key task of the group.

Participant organizations presented tentative definitions to the meeting, as this sample indicates.

The Laidlaw Foundation:

Social inclusion is about making sure that all children and adults are able to participate as valued, respected and contributing members of their communities and society… five cornerstones have been identified… valued recognition… opportunities for human development… involvement and engagement… proximity… material well-being.

The Social Planning Network of Ontario:

A variety of conditions exist and interact to exclude, "leave out", or "distance" people in many groups and sub-populations in our society. Social and economic inclusion focuses on these multi-dimensional inequities and the changes needed in policy, institutions, systems, organizations and practices in order to "close the distance" between excluded groups and the larger society.

The Roeher Institute:

People with disabilities want social inclusion in the sense that they, like others, want:

• To participate as valued, appreciated equals in the social, economic, political and cultural life of the community (i.e., valued societal situations).
• To be involved in mutually trusting, appreciative and respectful interpersonal relationships at the family, peer and community levels.

Canadian Council on Social Development:

Set of social processes that produce broad equality of outcomes and equality of opportunity for individuals within a society that respects and affirms social citizenship.

OPC offered a definition of a socially and economically inclusive society, based on discussions at the initial meeting of the consortium. The definition comes from the healthy public policy tradition and tries to be both universal and simple: a society which equally values, in every aspect, all of its peoples and communities.

This definition could be represented dynamically by a wheel with several spokes, each indicating an aspect of being equally valued. The spokes of the wheel would stand for such things as health and well being; socio-economic status; cultural, linguistic, religious background; housing and shelter; citizen engagement; education and literacy; sexuality, age and gender; mental and physical ability:

The emerging Laidlaw Foundation Consortium on Social and Economic Indices will likely support the concept of a number of indices, national, provincial, and local, with foci on appropriate sectors.

The Provincial Advisory Group has been considering working Technical Definitions of Inclusion and, as of June, 2003, is using this tentative Technical Definition:

An inclusive society creates a feeling of belonging for everyone. People build an inclusive society together, through an active process of change, by creating responsive systems. People and their systems equally value and seek justice for all, in every physical, mental, social, economic, health, cultural, and spiritual aspect of life.

Researched and written by Michael Fay.

June 1, 2003

The opinions expressed in this project do not necessarily reflect the official views of Health Canada, Population Public Health Branch, now the Public Health Agency of Canada, or the Laidlaw Foundation.

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