Canadian Political Economy and Constitutional Review: A Case Study of Ontario and British Columbia

Abstract

<p>This thesis examines the growing aggressiveness of the provincial governments in developing their own constitutional proposals by analyzing the interconnection between the economies of the provinces and the provincial government's subsequent proposals. The development of advanced monopoly capitalism has required government intervention into more areas of social and economic planning and this growth of government intervention has occurred in large part at the provincial government level, causing provincial bureaucracies to grow in size and expertise and to more readily challenge federal government policies and initiatives. As well, the regional segmentation of the Canadian economy has caused fractions of the bourgeoisie within each of the provinces to turn to the provincial governments to aid them in capitalist development. This in turn has led provincial governments to seek more power in aiding their particular segment of the economy by asking for revisions in the constitution. This thesis attempts to draw conclusions about this general trend in Canada today by examining two specific case studies, Ontario and British Columbia. These case studies indicate why provincial governments have become so interested in constitutional review and why provincial governments have developed distinct constitutional proposals.</p>