How Ottawa Spends 1998-99: Balancing Act-the Post-Deficit Mandate

Eric P. Mintz is an associate professor of political science at Sir
Wilfred Grenfell College, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Will the Liberal government change direction now that the deficit dragon
has been slayed? Will the policies of the Chrétien government’s
second term in office differ fundamentally from those of the first term?
The general consensus among the political scientists who have
contributed to this 19th annual edition of How Ottawa Spends is that
major changes in government policy are unlikely. Even though some new
spending initiatives have occurred, the government is still committed to
fiscal restraint. As well, the continued pressures for decentralization
in the federal system, the vagueness of the 1997 election promises, the
focus on economic growth, and the lack of a principled direction in the
Liberal government suggest that dramatic changes are unlikely. At most,
there may be greater efforts to balance the market-oriented policies of
the first term with some modest activist social initiatives in the
second term.

The contributors to How Ottawa Spends examine a variety of policy areas
from the social union to food inspection, the environment, labor market
policy, and sexual-orientation rights. The analyses are original and
well researched with a focus on the policy dilemmas faced by the
government. The appendixes provide some basic political and fiscal facts
and trends for the 1997–98 fiscal year.

How Ottawa Spends continues to be essential reading for those
interested in Canadian public policy. As in previous editions, the
articles in this volume are not simply annual “snapshots” of current
issues, but rather important contributions to understanding various
policy areas and the making of public policy.