Ontario Mothers' Allowance or Family Benefits was one of the first pil
lars of welfare state legislation in Canada and helped to lay the grou
ndwork for the state's involvement in the moral scrutiny of the poor.
This article illustrates that the moral regulation of the poor, often
associated with the Victorian era, continues today through the adminis
tration of this policy. Government administrators, neighbours, and oth
er welfare recipients are all encouraged to examine and report on the
daily behaviour of poor single mothers.