The Origins of authoritarian neoliberalism: the role of the legislature in implementing fiscal retrenchment in British Columbia, 1983

Abstract

This article explores the circumstances surrounding the parliamentary implementation of the first major neoliberal restructuring reforms in Canada at the British Columbia Legislature in 1983. The British Columbia case provides a concrete illustration of the strategies and approaches utilized to overcome resistance to neoliberal reforms internal to the state’s political apparatus. The article contends that the concentration of power in the executive has functioned as a reflection of a broader transformation in the balance of class forces under neoliberalism and served as a critical instrument in the actualization of its reforms. Additionally, the British Columbia example demonstrates that this process can be traced back to the beginning of the neoliberal period in Canada, suggesting that the rise of authoritarian neoliberalism has its origins in a decades-long process of legislative reform.