Old age pension was established by the federal government in 1927, and was funded by the federal and provincial governments. A person collected twenty dollars a month if they were British subjects, 70 years or older, and had lived in Canada for 20 years. After the Depression the plan was changed to a more modern plan that was more inclusive and easier to survive on (“Old-Age Pension”). Due to the Depression employment insurance (government relief paid during times of unemployment) was established in July 1941. Today’s employment insurance can be linked back to the depression. Canada’s unemployment rate spiked to around twenty percent and the government knew more assistance was required. Recipients had to prove they had worked between four hundred twenty and seven hundred hours to receive unemployment (Smith). This allowed unemployed Canadians to provide for their families. Without Canada’s employment insurance many Canadians would be living in poverty. A third social program that occurred because of the Depression was the Family Allowance. The depression caused birth rates to drop due to inability to support families. Canada’s population remained low after the Depression. To raise it the government gave each family a Family Allowance to encourage them to have children (“Family Allowance”). This shaped Canada because it helped regain population lost during the depression.