Abstract
This paper employs a descriptive case study method to analyze and critically review the emergence of the provincial poverty reduction strategy in Ontario, Canada which was implemented in 2008 and renewed in 2014. The purpose of this study is two-fold: first, it defines the principles of neoliberalism and explores the historical growth of neoliberal thought in Canada, and specifically within Ontario, beginning in the 1980s to the present-day. Drawing on a combination of primary, secondary and grey literature, this paper discusses the ways in which neoliberal ideologies and rhetoric became deeply rooted in political thought and discourse within the province. Employing a critical theory framework, the paper highlights the contrasting ways in which neoliberal values were adopted by the different political parties in power and the detrimental impact this espousal had on individuals living in poverty within Ontario. Second, the paper illustrates the powerful ways in which anti-poverty grassroots movements and social advocacy groups assembled to push for the creation of a provincial poverty reduction strategy. The analysis ends with a critique of the neoliberal influences on the strategy’s recommendations and the future outlook of the poverty reduction strategy based on the current political climate within the province.
Highlights
Neoliberalism, as a hegemonic ideology, has played a critical role in shaping Canada’s public policy arena both at the federal and provincial levels (Giroux 2004; Raddon 2012)
An analysis of these sources reveals that the development of neoliberalism and the push for poverty reduction in Ontario can broadly be classified into two stages, beginning with a general shift towards neoliberal policies at the federal level, followed by the subsequent neoliberalization of provincial politics and the growth of provincial anti-poverty grassroots movements
The purpose of undertaking this descriptive case study and analysis was two-fold: first, it aimed to construct a critically-informed historical and genealogical narrative defining the growth of neoliberalism in Canada and Ontario by drawing on a range of primary, secondary and grey literature
Summary
Neoliberalism, as a hegemonic ideology, has played a critical role in shaping Canada’s public policy arena both at the federal and provincial levels (Giroux 2004; Raddon 2012). This paper uses a descriptive case study methodology to weave a historical and critical narrative account of the process of neoliberalization in Canada, its development within Ontario and the influence it has had on the construction of poverty reduction policies within the province. The data sources for this paper draw from a combination of government documents, primary, secondary, and grey literature An analysis of these sources reveals that the development of neoliberalism and the push for poverty reduction in Ontario can broadly be classified into two stages, beginning with a general shift towards neoliberal policies at the federal level, followed by the subsequent neoliberalization of provincial politics and the growth of provincial anti-poverty grassroots movements. This article seeks to provide a discussion of these two stages and explore how these influences shaped the overall political arena and approaches to poverty-reduction within Ontario, Canada
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