Ontario: The Politics of Complacency

Ontario: The Politics of Complacency ONTARIO 1610-1985. Randall White. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1985. THE PROSPEROUS YEARS. K.J. Rea. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985. ROBARTS. A.K. McDougall. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1986. A SHORT HISTORY OF ONTARIO. Robert Bothwell. Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers, 1986. UNLIKELY TORY Peter Oliver. Toronto : Lester and Orpen Dennys, 1985. ... to accept as real, limits that are imposed by our own minds, is . .. self-inflicted blindness. Robert Dahl Introduction Ontario is the ''I'm alright Jack" province of Canada: many of its articulate opinion leaders project a smug, complacent attitude. This is easily understood . They look East and West, to the chronically depressed Maritimes and to the boom-and-bust West with its often demagogic politics, and conclude that Ontario's government must be effective. But this commonly used standard is deficient . Too little of Ontario's success is attributed to its maturity, location, abundant resources, and dominant position in the federation; too much to its politics. A balanced assessment of Ontario's political system must include its relative performance vis-a-vis the other provinces , but should not end there. It should also include the potential of the province in the political and other spheres of activity and the aspirations of its citizens. Ontario's politics should be tested against democratic ideals; its social progress against the generous, supportive impulses of its people; its economic performance against the capacity demonstrated during the period of wartime and postwar growth. Journal of Canadian Studies Vol. 22. No. l (P1i11re111p.1· 1987 Spring) The "easy" standard of assessment which many Ontario leaders apply to "their" system sets the stage for rule by a conservative elite which, in circular fashion, reinforces the complacency which put it into office with its rhetoric: "Ontario has the world's best, Canada's best . . . . etc." Few are informed enough, or "tuned in" enough, to question the validity of the claims. Elitism in Ontario is reflected in the relatively small number of people who participate actively in politics, in their deferential trusting attitude, and in the socio-economic background of most of Ontario's dominant political figures. Leaders who are drawn from the ranks of society's comfortable classes and who are given wide freedom of action by public opinion (although not, of course, in relation to establishment interests ) are likely to be preoccupied with the status quo - with system maintenance - rather than with achieving optimal results. This is especially true when the "stirring up," which results when one elite group replaces another as the government, occurs infrequently. Why should a more demanding standard of assessment be applied to Ontario? Simply so that Ontarians and their governments, as well as drawing satisfaction from past accomplishments, will be encouraged to realize their community 's full potential. A political culture of complacency costs, and while these costs fall most heavily on those who are losers in the private sector and depend on government for support, everybody suffers at some level. Discharged, but scarcely independent, patients of mental hospitals lack adequate living accommodation . Medical research is starved for funds which could lead to significant improvement in health standards. People who feel that their lives lack meaning could, perhaps, find direction in a community mobilized to achieve collective goals. One could draw up a long list of such costs and, occasionally, it is desirable to do so as a reminder that we are not dealing with intellectual abstrac149 tions. There is some urgency in sorting out the matters we are discussing. Given the nature of Ontario's political culture, and the system of politics it sustains, those who write about Ontario politics have a very special opportunity , if not an obligation, to provide the dynamic element which will not otherwise be present. The traditional "critical" role of the intellectual is thus especially important in Ontario. Histories - "reinforcing" and "critical" This collection of books is a welcome addition to the Ontario bookshelf and to a neglected area of research and publishing. The items included make the general and recent economic history of the province readily accessible, and they provide interesting studies of two important contemporary political figures. The Bothwell and White histories join Joseph Schull's...