Austerity and Resistance: The Ontario Days of Action, 1995-1998

From December 1995 to summer 1998, Ontario witnessed eleven one-day general strikes and Days of Action across its major cities. These protests were sparked by the so-called Common Sense Revolution associated with Conservative Premier Mike Harris, elected to office in 1995. Written during the twenty-fifth anniversary of this significant social movement, Austerity and Resistance aims to tell its story and draw lessons from it. Paul Kellogg draws on his experiences as a former policy officer in the Government of Ontario and a journalist focused on social movements to offer a first-hand account of the challenges and contradictions of this era. He documents these tumultuous years, providing unique insights into how the social movement developed, shaped public consciousness, influenced policy, and impacted the lives of Ontario’s political parties. The book explores how this understanding informs perceptions of neoliberalism in Ontario, arguing that Harris was wrong in his cuts to services, attacks on unions, and reductions in the public sector during the 1990s, a path that Conservative Premier Doug Ford appears to be repeating in the twenty-first century. Vividly illustrated, Austerity and Resistance tells the story of a significant social movement while drawing crucial lessons for today’s political landscape.