Canadian Politics

A19(b) - Public Policy

Date: Jun 1 | Time: 01:30pm to 03:00pm | Location: Classroom - CL 316 Room ID: 15744

Chair/Président/Présidente : Ryan Deschamps (University of Waterloo)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Lorna Stefanick (Athabasca University)

Why Have Provinces Not Adopted More Robust Child Care Programs?: Gabriel Arsenault (Université de Moncton), Olivier Jacques (McGill University), Antonia Maioni (McGill University)
Abstract: Compared to other advanced democracies, Canada is a laggard when it comes to investing in child care. Current research has mainly focused on accounting for the federal government’s failure to put in place an ambitious child care program (White, 2014; Collier, 2010; Jenson, Mahon and Phillips, 2003; Mahon and Phillips, 2002; Friendly, 2001;). Strangely, very little work has sought to explain why provinces outside Quebec have failed to put in place such a program. Some authors have compared Quebec with Ontario or British Columbia (Haddow, 2015; Mahon, 2013; Collier, 2001), but a systematic account of provinces’ child care policy remains to be produced. This paper aims to fill that gap. Combining a quantitative analysis to an exhaustive literature review, this paper argues that a combination of three factors – all present only in Quebec - help explain Quebec’s exceptionalism with respect to child care: (i) A left-of-center party ready to act as a ‘protagonist’ initiating a major child care reform; (ii) a party system characterized by the absence of a neoliberal party ready to act as an ‘antagonist’ rolling back a progressive reform; and (iii) a shared understanding among parties and civil society associations that child care is an exclusive provincial responsibility. In making this argument, this paper provides evidence in favor of power resource theory and confirms the role of identity in fostering solidary, while undermining explanations stressing the role of policy learning, bureaucratic entrepreneurship and fiscal capacity.

844.Arsenault.Jacques.Maioni.pdf

Pope Francis’ “Integral Ecology” and Indigenous Support for Ontario’s Basic Minimum Income: Jeremy Geddert (Assumption College)
Abstract: Ontario has recently opened a pilot project for a basic income (BI). The project lists seven aims, including improved mental health, reduced anxiety, and higher labour market participation. Yet the prospect of guaranteeing income is politically charged, as neoliberal critics assert that it rewards people for not working. Ontario might assuage critics by appealing to a surprising source: Pope Francis. His 2015 encyclical Laudato Si outlines an "integral ecology" that endorses the aforementioned aims. It implicitly favours a basic income over an increased minimum wage through its emphasis on meaningful work over mere economic gain, which allows more people to develop their abilities, build relationships, and live out their values. It also endorses the Province’s departure from a strictly-defined “basic income”, through a graduated threshold that encourages labour force participation. This might help to combat public opposition in Catholic areas of Ontario. Furthermore, Pope Francis’ overall ecological vision might also foster greater support for the BI among First Nations of Ontario. Indeed, Laudato Si quotes Canadian Bishops to argue that “nature is…a continuing revelation of the divine….[even in] the tiniest living form”, and that “it is not separate from ourselves.” This idea that “land is not a commodity but a gift” emphasizes participation in the sacred and creative work of nature, echoing the indigenous emphasis not on domination but on preservation of nature. This supports a BI that both incentivizes creative employment over industrial labour and provides support for creativity outside formal employment.

1176.Geddert.pdf