Question

Describe the poor laws of canada that were made up two different types of relief, the indoor and outdoor

Answer 1

The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 of Canada (also known as the New Poor Law) consolidated parishes into larger administrative units called poor law unions, but this was still a largely decentralized system. It provided for the provisions for the relief of 'the poor'.

Some people welcomed it because they believed it would reduce the cost of looking after the poor, take beggars off the streets and encourage poor people to work hard to support themselves

The new Poor Law ensured that the poor were housed in workhouses, clothed, and fed. Children who entered the workhouse would receive some schooling. In return for this care, all workhouse paupers would have to work for several hours each day.

The New Poor Law distinguished between the "undeserving" and "deserving" poor, and between "indoor" and "outdoor" relief.

The "undeserving" poor were those considered capable of working, and they were subjected to "indoor" relief which meant being forced into a workhouse where they worked in exchange for meager food and shelter. The undeserving poor were given enough relief to survive, but that also kept them poorer than the poorest workers. This was called the principle of "less eligibility", designed to encourage the able-bodied poor to work.

The "deserving" poor, on the other hand, included seniors, orphans, the sick, and the disabled. Because they were unable to work, they were sometimes offered "outdoor" relief (given money directly), but sometimes they too had only the workhouse to turn to.