the Great Depression set in motion a process of "massive centralization" of responsibility for income security in Canada (Banting, 1987:63). The result was a common set of national standards in key areas of social policy - such as unemployment insurance, child benefits and old age security--that produced large interregional transfers from richer to poorer regions. In the 1960s, the redistributive impact of national standards in social spending was complemented by a complex mix of direct federal - provincial equalization payments.