Canada has a complex web of social and economic policies that have an
impact on family members' abilities to manage the interface between wo
rk and family life. This article reviews existing work and family poli
cy in Canada and identifies problems many Canadians experience in stru
ggling to meet the competing demands of work and family life. Using Ei
chler's models of the family (patriarchal, individual responsibility,
and social responsibility) and three conceptual models of the relation
ship between work and family (separate sphere, spillover effects, and
interactive), implicit assumptions about the family and the nature of
the work-family relationship underlying Canadian policy are discussed.
It is argued that one of the reasons existing policy does not fully m
eet the needs of Canadians is that it is based on outdated assumptions
about the family and the nature of the work-family interface. Recomme
ndations for policy reform are offered.