| This thesis considers the recent amendments to the Employment Standards Act in terms of the privatization and deregulation of minimum employment standards in the new infrastructure. It suggests that the move to enhance flexibility in the individual employment contract has been accompanied by a reconstitution and a re-regulation of minimum employment standards. When viewed within the larger context of domestic regulatory reform and regional economic integration, it is apparent that the Ontario government responded to influencing factors beyond its control, however, the Employment Standards Act 2000 is not wholly a product of exogenous pressures. This thesis argues that the rhetoric of economic integration opened political space for the state to embark upon mass regulatory reforms. In this regard, the state is seen to be dynamic and activist in pursuing desired domestic strategies that are congruent with its political institutions and governing philosophies. |
