Ontario Politics

Description The main question is : According to Julie Simmons, Ontario’s intergovernmental relations strategy has changed in what she describes as the “free trade era” (p. 148). What does she mean? What is the “fair shares” campaign recent Ontario premiers have espoused? Why did they promote this approach to federalism? Essay Format: The essay must conform to the following format:  Title Page – the title page must include: your name and student number; the title of your essay; date of submission; & the course number . No pictures or graphics please.  Table of Contents – NOT necessary.  Body of the Essay – Pages should be numbered. Do not use Roman numerals. Page one is the first page of your essay, not the title page. You must use one of standard academic citation systems for your notes, citations and bibliography. There are three systems commonly used in the social sciences: APA, MLA and Chicago/Turabian. Choose one. The Assignment: Background information to help you understand the assignment It is commonly recognized that historically, Ontario has been the chief beneficiary of Confederation. For this reason, observers suggest, Ontarians have never developed a strong regional or provincial consciousness; instead, they have tended to identify themselves as Canadians first and Ontarians second. However, in the 1980s and 1990s, changes in the North American political economy provoked Ontario’s politicians to take a more aggressive “Ontario first” stance, and encouraged the view that Ontario has regional interests to defend just like the other provinces. This new strategy continued in the millennium under the McGuinty/Wynne Liberal government in office 2003-18. The new Conservative Premier, Doug Ford, appears to be pursuing a similar strategy with his attacks on Liberal Prime Minister Trudeau