February 1995 legislation entitled the Budget Implementation Act repealed the Canada Assistance Plan and introduced the Canada Health & Social Transfer. This publication begins with a review of the Plan, what the new Act has taken away from national social programs, the history of national standards for social programs, the federal role in setting such standards, and implications for women and the poor. Chapter 2 describes the equality commitments made by Canada both internationally and domestically. Chapter 3 examines the application of equality rights when economic policies are challenged in the courts. Chapter 4 explores more closely the content of the rights instruments available to women and sets out interpretations of equality guarantees that can be responsive to women's material inequality and that draw on the richness and complexity of Canada's equality commitments. The final chapter considers the work that women must do to ensure that both social programs and equality guarantees can be responsive to women's needs and aspirations. Future directions are suggested for women's activism, institutional reform, and government policy.