The group of six

Like the rest of the world, Canada had just struggled through a tough decade with high rates of unemployment – the highest, in fact, since the Great Depression of the 1930s. [...] The political climate in the country was highly unstable in the wake of the failed Meech and Charlottetown constitutional talks and the razor-close results of the Quebec referendum in 1995. [...] The Canada Assistance Plan (CAP) had allowed the federal government to share with the provinces and territories in 50 percent of the costs of welfare and social services. [...] The social component of the transfer has since been pulled out of the 2. Caledon Institute of Social Policy formula and moved to a new Canada Social Transfer – though the contents of this pot still remain unclear. [...] The concept of community development means just that – the development of the community.