What are the major issues confronting social policy-makers today? What theoretical perspectives shape our thinking about the causes of social problems and how we should respond? What can we do to influence decision makers about which policy choice to make? In this completely revised and updated edition of "Canadian Social Policy," a new generation of social policy analysts discusses these important questions. Readers who are interested in discovering the current policy debates, and who want to understand the policy-making process at various levels of government as well as how they can influence the process and assess whether policies are working, will find this book invaluable.

In 2011, protesters around the world – including Canada – called for changes to the societies in which they live. Many observers were asking: “What do they want?” Some answers to this question can be found in How Societies Work, a unique and accessible introductory sociology textbook that introduces students to the structure of contemporary societies and the power relationships within them. In contrast to most introductory textbooks, How Societies Work explores a broad range of sociological concepts and theories while simultaneously creating a coherent picture of modern societies. Drawing on fields as diverse as anthropology, genetics, economics, social psychology, history and politics, this innovative and popular text looks at both the roots of modern societies and the current structures within them. This approach helps undergraduate students make sense of our complex social world and encourages them to connect the social world to their own lived experiences. This extensively revised and updated fifth edition includes discussions of the roots of the recent global economic crisis and worldwide responses to it, growing social inequality, broader global struggles for change, the growth of the security state in Canada and the sudden resurgence of political protest in North America. The final chapter looks to the future, examining such issues as the possible consequences of climate change, increased forced migration of peoples and the changing dynamic of global power. More boxes, quotes and “think about it” elements have been added to the fifth edition, while the language, clarity of presentation and many examples make it even more accessible to readers. It is an introductory textbook that truly engages students in the “sociological imagination.” This fifth edition is presented in a large format, making it easier to read and even more student friendly. A testbank and power point presentation are available for instructors upon request.

Champion sprinter Donovan Bailey said it, and this book confirms it. While racism may not be as blatant in Canada as in the United States, it does exist. Members of visible minority groups are discriminated against in employment, housing, and access to public services. The increasing visibility of hate groups and calls to restrict immigration mark the growing tension. Racist attitudes against Asians and Blacks, in particular, have seeped into the criminal justice system. Ironically, since 1960 it has been illegal in Ontario to track crime by race, making it difficult for researchers to collect data. The media, our primary source of information, has sensationalized crimes where minority groups are implicated. Clayton Mosher uses historical data and media reports to expose racism in Canada's social, legal, and criminal justice systems. He considers the social contexts of discrimination, legislation directed against minority groups, law enforcement, and court outcomes. At last, we are offered an objective assessment of racism in Canada. Discrimination and Denial is essential reading for judges, lawyers, police officers, social policy makers, and community leaders. Interpretations of recent events, such as the shooting of officer Todd Baylis by a fugitive alien and gang-style slayings in Toronto's Chinatown, are guaranteed to heat up the embers of public debate.

Is Canada becoming a more polarized society? Or is it a kind-hearted nation that takes care of its disadvantaged? This volume closely examines these differing views through a careful analysis of the causes, trends, and dimensions of inequality to provide an overall assessment of the state of inequality in Canada. Contributors include economists, sociologists, philosophers, and political scientists, and the discussion ranges from frameworks for thinking about inequality, to original analyses using Canadian data, to assessments of significant policy issues, methodologies, and research directions. What emerges is the most detailed picture of inequality in Canada to date and, disturbingly, one that shows signs of us becoming a less just society. An invaluable source of information for policy makers, researchers, and students from a broad variety of disciplines, Dimensions of Inequality in Canada will also appeal to readers interested or involved in public debates over inequality.

This informative reader introduces students to the sociological imagination in a way that is informative and entertaining. From a pedagogical standpoint, this is an excellent reader for introductory level courses on the sociology of deviance and social control. The collection of articles combines readings on sociological perspectives and theories with journalistic treatments of deviance and social control. The focus is on the social construction of deviance and the legitimizing of social control.

Based on interviews with Leamington greenhouse growers and migrant Mexican workers, Tanya Basok offers a timely analysis of why the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program is needed. She argues that while Mexican workers do not necessarily constitute cheap labour for Canadian growers, they are vital for the survival of some agricultural sectors because they are always available for work, even on holidays and weekends, or when exhausted, sick, or injured. Basok exposes the mechanisms that make Mexican seasonal workers unfree and shows that the workers' virtual inability to refuse the employer's demand for their labour is related not only to economic need but to the rigid control exercised by the Mexican Ministry of Labour and Social Planning and Canadian growers over workers' participation in the Canadian guest worker program, as well as the paternalistic relationship between the Mexican harvesters and their Canadian employers.