A scathing indictment of austerity policy In 2016, Brian Pallister's Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba successfully campaigned on a platform to reduce taxes and restore the balance between revenue and spending. The years that followed their victory saw wages frozen, emergency rooms closed, intensive care unit beds reduced, healthcare jobs eliminated, Manitoba Housing funding slashed, and payments to foster parents decreased, as the civil service was diminished by 27 percent. Public Service in Tough Times gives voice to the people behind the balance sheets, shedding light on the vicious cycle of understaffing, burnout, attrition, and despair created by austerity policy. Using survey data from thousands of public sector workers and carefully compiled statistics on spending and staffing, editors Jesse Hajer, Ian Hudson, and Jennifer Keith, demonstrate how cuts to government expenditures disproportionately benefit the wealthy and exacerbate poverty and inequality. As the virtues of small government, tax cuts, and private sector investment continue to be the rallying cry of right-leaning politicians worldwide, this impeccably researched case study delivers a crushing critique of austerity and its consequences.
Jesse Hajer teaches in departments of Labour Studies and Economics at University of Manitoba. Ian Hudson teaches in the department of Economics at University of Manitoba. Jennifer Keith holds a PhD in Indigenous Studies from the University of Manitoba.
Illustrations Acknowledgements Contributors Preface Introduction, Jesse Hajer with Katherine Burley and Ian Hudson Chapter 1. Childcare in Manitoba: Austerity's Harms, Susan Prentice Chapter 2. Schooling Under Austerity: Eroding Equity and Worsening Workloads in K-12 Education, Ee-Seul Yoon Chapter 3. Austerity and Advanced Education in Manitoba, Scott Forbes Chapter 4. Austerity and Adult Education, Jim Silver Chapter 5. Wavering Welcome: Austerity in the Immigration Sector, Sarah Zell Chapter 6. Critical Condition: Healthcare in Manitoba, Katherine Burley, Robert Chernomas and Ian Hudson Chapter 7. Environment and Natural Resources, Mark Hudson Chapter 8. Supporting and Promoting Safe and Just Communities? Elizabeth Comack, Amelia Curran Chapter 9. Looking for "a Wagonload of Luck" on "this Capitalist Earth": Workers' Perspectives on Income Assistance and Disability Support, Jim P. Mulvale Chapter 10. Austerity and Child Welfare, Shauna MacKinnon Chapter 11. Manitoba Housing and Renewal Corporation, Sarah Cooper Chapter 12. Austerity v. Manitoba Women, Mara Fridell Chapter 13. Slashing Roses: Austerity, Sports, and the Arts in Manitoba, Brenda Austin-Smith Chapter 14. Austerity in the Department of Economic Development, Investment and Trade, and in the Department of Agriculture, Fletcher Baragar Chapter 15. Tarnishing the Crown: The Impact of Austerity on Manitoba's Public Corporations, Lynne Fernandez and Niall Harney Chapter 16. Something Needs to Change: Austerity in Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure, Holly Scotland and Jennifer Keith Chapter 17. Austerity in Labour and Consumer Programs: False Economies, Reduced Service, Demoralized Staff, Julie Guard Chapter 18. "It Did Not Make Sense": Austerity in Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation in Manitoba, Jennifer Keith and Niigaan Sinclair Chapter 19. The Impact of Austerity on Municipalities, Orly Linovski Chapter 20. Austerity from the Perspective of Public Sector Workers "Behind-the-Scenes," Shreya Ghimire, Karine Levasseur, and Andrea Rounce Conclusion, Jesse Hajer, Ian Hudson, and Jennifer Keith Epilogue, Jesse Hajer Index
"Public Service in Tough Times does something politicians almost never do in a budget speech: it hands the microphone to the people behind the balance sheets... The authors also pull back the curtain on who really benefits from austerity. Cuts to public spending disproportionately reward those already at the top, while pushing more people into poverty and deepening inequality." - Kyle Ross, Winnipeg Free Press
