Topics for Discussion

1. The social safety net: how it is built, and what its parts are.
   
   
2. What life is like with and without a solid social safety net.
   
   
3. How provincial and federal governments each play a part in building a social safety net.
   
   
4. How problems are dealt with over time: changes in thinking and ways of solving problems.
   
   
5. Unsolved problems: social security needs that are still not met today.
   
   
6. Human rights: the right to life, decent standards of living, human dignity.

Questions for Discussion

1. What is the "social safety net?" What are some things included in it?
   
   
2. When did Newfoundland join Canada? After this happened, why did so many people write to Premier Smallwood asking for help? What do their questions tell about Newfoundland at that time?
   
   
3. What was "public relief?" What were "relieving officers?" What do we have in place of public relief and relieving officers today?
   
   
4. For a long time, the Newfoundland government gave out cod liver oil free of charge to babies and children. Why did the government do this? What problem was it trying to deal with? Do you think this was a good way to deal with the problem?
   
   
5. Who are the "working poor?" Why do some people who work stay poor? What do you think could be done to solve this problem?
   
   
6. "Mothers' allowances" and "dependents' allowances" were new kinds of help available to people after Confederation. What did these allowances do? Why were they important?
   
   
7. It has been said that the promise of the "baby bonus" helped Newfoundland women vote for Confederation. What was the baby bonus? Why was it important to women? What do we have in its place today?