Making the law keep down the costs. Why Canada’s public systems designed to support unemployed workers with a disability are making the decisions that they are.

This paper documents changes made to workers compensation, CPP, EI, and welfare since 1990 by federal and provincial government in the pursuit of cutting costs. The objective of documented changes has been to reduce the entitlement and amount of benefits and bureaucratize adjudication, particularly for those with intermittent, recurring and extended periods of disability. This report argues that there are different policy strategies that are more fair and effective in supporting unemployed workers with a disability.