The Creatures of the Province Doctrine and the Neoliberalization and De-Democratization of Local Governance in Toronto from 1996-2023

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dc.contributor.advisorMurray, Karen
dc.contributor.authorKelpin, Ryan Justin
dc.date.accessioned2025-04-10T10:49:49Z
dc.date.available2025-04-10T10:49:49Z
dc.date.copyright2024-10-25
dc.date.issued2025-04-10
dc.date.updated2025-04-10T10:49:49Z
dc.degree.disciplinePolitical Science
dc.degree.levelDoctoral
dc.degree.namePhD - Doctor of Philosophy
dc.description.abstractIn 2022, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced new legislation, the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act. The Act enshrined something once unthinkable to people living in the City of Toronto: granting the mayor the power to veto decisions made by the City Council while requiring the council to summon a super-majority (two-thirds) of votes to overrule the mayor. Any new local bylaw passed seen as clashing with “provincial priorities” could be vetoed by the mayor, creating a direct political link on all local issues between the municipal mayor’s and provincial government premier’s offices. This dissertation questions broad assumptions about, and examines and theorizes to what degree, this type of governing was a stark break from, or a continuation of, the longstanding norms pertaining to liberal democratic institutions and intergovernmental governance between the Government of Ontario and the City of Toronto. Using three case studies over the period from 1996 to 2023, the dissertation focuses on three Ontario premiers: Mike Harris (1996-2002), Dalton McGuinty (2003-2006), and Doug Ford (2018-2023). The argument put forth is that in the neoliberal era, the provincial government has routinely utilized the creatures of the province doctrine to restructure liberal democratic institutions and undercut democratic decision-making processes within the City of Toronto. This was done in the name of the neoliberalized notion of “efficiency” through centralizing power and insulating neoliberal austerity measures from critique.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10315/42811
dc.languageen
dc.rightsAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.
dc.subject.keywordsNeoliberalism
dc.subject.keywordsDemocracy
dc.subject.keywordsCanada
dc.subject.keywordsToronto
dc.subject.keywordsOntario
dc.subject.keywordsDedemocratization
dc.subject.keywordsDe-democratization
dc.subject.keywordsCreatures of the province
dc.subject.keywordsDoug Ford
dc.subject.keywordsDalton Mcguinty
dc.subject.keywordsMike Harris
dc.subject.keywordsConservatives
dc.subject.keywordsLiberals
dc.titleThe Creatures of the Province Doctrine and the Neoliberalization and De-Democratization of Local Governance in Toronto from 1996-2023
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation

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