Annual report of the Department of National Health and Welfare [Canada].

  • Canada. Department of National Health and Welfare.
Date:
[1966]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Department of National Health and Welfare [Canada]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    13/248 (page 1)
    To the Honourable Allan J. MacEachen, Minister of National Health and Welfare, Ottawa. SIR: Several events of national scope were among major developments in the Department during the 1965-66 fiscal year. In a national sense, perhaps the major development in 196 5-66 was implementation of the Canada Pension Plan. The Act establishing the Plan was proclaimed on May 5, 1965 and contributions to the Plan began on January 6, 1966. The Plan will provide working persons with three classes of benefits: pensions when they retire, pensions should they become severely disabled; benefits for their survivors. Another notable event in the field of social security was the beginning of the program to reduce the Old Age Security pensionable age from 70 to 65. Under an amendment to the Old Age Security Act, the age at which the pension becomes payable is being reduced from 70 to 65, one year at a time. This will have the effect of reducing the pensionable age to 65 by January 1970. A significant national step in the field of fitness and amateur sport was the granting by the Department of $750,000 to the Organizing Committee of the First Canadian Winter Games, to be held in Quebec City in February 1967. Sports events will include hockey, skiing, basketball and ten other activities. These first all-Canadian multiple games represent a highly significant event in Canadian amateur sports since, for the first time, teams from all provinces and territories will be competing in a variety of sports. Efforts of Medical Services staff and others in the public health field have been responsible for bringing about a marked decline in the Indian infant mortality rate. The overall efforts of Medical Services have tended to improve health among the indigenous population, with a decline also in the Eskimo infant mortality rate.