The Viability of Sectorai Corporatism in Canada: An Analysis of the Viability of the Steel, Electrical and Electronic and, Automotive Parts Training Councils

Abstract

<p>Steady and rising rates of unemployment continue to be a fundamental policy problem to the federal and provincial governments in Canada As a result, business and labour interests in conjunction with the federal and provincial governments have begun to formulate and implement labour adjustment policy, specifically training, through sectoral corporatist adjustment boards. The resulting 'success' of these corporatist initiatives remains too premature to analyse, however, the viability of the structures currently in place are a cogent basis for analysis. This thesis seeks to sketch out what structural viability for sectoral based corporatist adjustment boards looks like and how structural variables may be an indication of future policy success or failure. Finally, this thesis attempts to answer the following research hypothesis: can the labour market partners design consensus based governance structures that permit cooperation in the formulation and implementation of training policies and programs? The research hypothesis will be answered through the mysis of three sectoral based corporatist initiatives in the steel, electrical and electronics and automotive parts manufacturing sectors.</p>