LE3 .A278 2014

2014

Stewart, Ian

Acadia University

Bachelor of Arts

Honours

Politics

Politics

With the upsurge in use of terms such as ‘income inequality’ and ‘the one percent’ following the 2008 financial crisis and protests including the Occupy Movement, many theorists are – unconvincingly – confident that economic disparity in Canada and elsewhere will soon be addressed through significant policy reform. The events of 2008 may have been termed ‘financial crisis’ but they are far from the crisis of legitimacy required for an overthrow of neoliberal hegemony. Rather than having inspired radical change, the aftermath of the financial crisis suggests a solidification of neoliberal dominance. While the optimist views every crisis as an opportunity, the moment for revolution may already be lost. Indeed, the case study of state and non-state discourse presented in this thesis demonstrates that while discussion of poverty and income inequality has increased in certain segments of Canadian society, the state remains relatively unaffected by these halfhearted calls for egalitarianism. Furthermore, civil society’s discourse of change is flawed, rooted in a populist, apolitical rhetoric of the ‘middle class’ and ‘the 99 percent’ that fails to provide a sophisticated analysis of poverty or class differences. This pacifying terminology inhibits the development of class-consciousness, a necessary precondition of neoliberalism’s demise. In this thesis, state discourse regarding poverty and inequality is investigated through an examination of the Canadian federal budgets between 2008 and 2013. Non-state discourse is studied through parliamentary debates, news articles from five prominent sources – The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, CBC News, and CTV News – and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ (CCPA’s) annual Alternative Federal Budgets (AFBs). This study is guided by three primary research questions: 1) What themes or trends emerged in state and non-state discourse regarding income inequality and poverty reduction in Canada after the 2008 financial crisis? 2) Is there a disconnection between state and non-state discourse regarding such issues in Canada? 3) If differences are found between state and non-state discourse, what accounts for these differences? The findings of this case study suggest that the federal budgets display few, if any, signs of change in discourse following the 2008 financial crisis. However, the parliamentary debates reveal a different story – the financial crisis and subsequent protests do appear to have had an impact on this non-state discourse. Perhaps most prominent is an apparent increase in use of the term ‘income inequality.’ Surprisingly, however, the analysis of the media’s reactions revealed minimal references to these social movements. Finally, as expected, the AFBs featured numerous discussions of poverty and income inequality in Canada, with a particular focus on the Occupy and Idle No More Movements. The 2008 financial crisis may have altered the discourse surrounding poverty and inequality within Canadian civil society, the media, and left-wing think tanks, but until it reaches the state and policy reform is implemented, we have little to show for our actions. Enacting meaningful political change necessitates a transformation of our identities and requires sustained forms of collective action. Until then, the likelihood that the status quo will continue to be upheld reflects the same misguided ratios made (in)famous by the Occupy Movement: 99 to 1.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:1063