A14(b) - Inside the Pink Palace II
Date: Jun 13 | Heure: 03:30pm to 05:00pm | Salle: 680 Sherbrooke St. West 355
Chair/Président/Présidente : Peter P. Constantinou (OLIP Director)
Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Julian Campisi (University of Toronto)
Paradiplomacy at the Ontario Legislature: Bridget Carter-Whitney (Ontario Legislature Internship Programme)
Abstract: [tentative] The role that provinces play in foreign affairs has been examined within Canadian political science literature with emphases on international trade, treaties, and investment, on the implications to studies of federalism, and the case of Quebec. Research also shows that provinces’ positions on the international stages have only become more important since Canada’s independence, resulting in their being perceived as region states due to their high levels of participation in paradiplomacy. This paper builds upon the existing literature on the roles Canadian provinces (and Ontario in particular) play in international affairs to broaden its scope beyond solely considering the economic lens that currently predominates. It strives to when and how foreign matters are politically mobilized by elected members of provincial legislatures by examining the factors that precede the addressing of international issues within the Legislature, both in the House and in other legislative activities. Along with a critical examination of relevant literature, I [will] rely upon the first-hand accounts and perspectives provided through interviews with a sample of Ontario’s Members of Provincial Parliament which give insights into the internal processes of decision-making regarding international affairs. It is my hope that the findings of this research will clarify whether the current domination of analyses of provinces' international participation which centre on economic incentives neglect to address other ways that international issues may be invoked within provincial legislatures, particularly when there is no formal economic stake tied to the matter.
The Committee Conundrum: An Analysis of the Oversight Mechanism of Government Agencies: Razan Akiba (Ontario Legislature Internship Programme)
Abstract: Through an analysis of the Ontario Legislative Assembly’s Government Agencies Committee under a majority, and a prior minority government, this paper will consider the effectiveness of the function of the committee as a mechanism of oversight. This conference paper explores the historical evolution of the Committee on Government Agencies, focusing on its mandate, authority, and the balance between appointments and agency autonomy. In 1990, the committee was empowered to review public appointments with the intention of creating greater transparency in the public appointments process. The committee felt that it should not impede on the government’s responsibility to make appointments, but rather, implement an approach that would reflect the principles of fairness and openness. I will investigate the Camp Commission and its role in the origins of government agencies, examining the theoretical versus practical functions of oversight. In addition, through interviews with government and opposition Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs), serving during various sessions of the committee, I will consider how the committee’s function changed under majority and minority governments, shedding light on the political dynamics at play. This paper contributes to the ongoing discourse surrounding the partisan nature of government appointments, and the general discourse of committee oversight and its implications for modern governance.
Party discipline and its impact on legislation, legislators and democracy in Ontario: Evan Cameron (Ontario Legislature Internship Programme)
Abstract: Politics is a team sport. Increasingly, in Ontario and across Canada, these teams are becoming more rigid, with politicians who publicly disagree with their party, vote against party legislation, or present a political vulnerability, often being promptly removed from the party. While this hardline party discipline has become commonplace in Canada, with several examples from Ontario since Doug Ford’s election in 2018, it is unclear whether this type of partisan politics results in the most effective legislation and representation for citizens. While academics have analyzed the role of party discipline and party unity in Canadian politics, this paper aims to build on this work by asking: is there a viable alternative to Ontario’s system of party discipline? To answer this question, this paper analyzes the nature of partisanship in other jurisdictions, the historical trends of partisanship and party discipline in Canada and the firsthand accounts from Ontario’s Members of Provincial Parliament on the impact of party discipline in their work. In doing so initially, it becomes clear that the current system of strong party discipline may not always result in the best outcomes for the public, though there is not necessarily a natural alternative within the current system.
Picking up the Kids from Daycare: Cynicism in Political Staff: Steffi Burgi (Ontario Legislature Internship Programme)
Abstract: There is a running joke among political staff that waiting for Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) outside of the Chamber after oral question period is akin to waiting to pick up the kids from daycare. This paper investigates if workplace cynicism impacts political staff and how their role as political staff has affected the way they view politics and democracy. Workplace cynicism can be defined as having negative feelings, such as distrust, towards the organization one works for and a general loss of idealism. Political cynicism takes the form of a lack of confidence in the government, revealing feelings that the government is not functioning as it should, based on the individual’s expectations. This study contributes to political discourse as there is limited research on political staff and research thus far has not examined the impact of cynicism on political staff. By using semi-structured interviews with a non-random stratified sample of political staff for backbench Ontario MPPs across political parties, this paper aims to understand if and how cynicism affects political staff and how their view of politics and democracy has shifted due to their job.
Protesting the Pink Palace: MPPs’ Attitudes on Political Demonstrations at Queen’s Park: Astrid Krueger (Ontario Legislature Internship Programme)
Abstract: In Toronto, the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park is a popular site for the expression of public discontent through political demonstrations. Though there is scholarly consensus that the number of protests, globally, has increased over the last decade, disagreement remains about the efficacy of protests in influencing political decisions. Do protests authoritatively affect legislators’ policy decisions? Or are they perceived as an essential, if not directly influential, feature of democratic societies? Employing frameworks from the philosophy of language, this paper defines protests as speech acts, and seeks to understand how they are received by policymakers at Queen’s Park. This paper asks: what attitudes do Ontario Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) hold towards protests at Queen’s Park? Semi-structured interviews with Ontario MPPs allow for an analysis of the dialectical exchange between protests and legislators in Ontario. This provides insight on the force and effect of protests as speech acts, and how MPPs navigate their legislative responsibility and accountability to public opinion.