This paper reports an attempt to determine whether or not an analysis and disaggregation of provincial public accounts could illuminate trends in the development of Canadian personal social services. Every third fiscal year between 1963-1964 and 1980-1981 was analyzed to give some idea of trends occurring immediately prior to and since the introduction of the Canadian Assistance Plan in 1966. Provincial public accounts supplemented by departmental annual reports and figures from a previous study were used in the analysis. Although there were deficiencies in the data, it was considered that, for the 7 years selected for analysis, logical and consistent progressions were evident in the available figures. After an overview of expenditure trends, discussion focuses on trends in employment levels in provincial social service departments, expenditures for residential care of persons with special needs, and federal transfers of monies to the provinces. Concluding sections of the analysis discuss the relationship between ideology and social service spending and the relationship between unemployment and social services. It is concluded that there is reason to believe social service provision in Canada has grown substantially during the last 18 or 19 years, and, insofar as can be judged from aggregated statistics, service quality appears to have improved. Twenty-three data tables are appended. (RH)