Governments, such as Canada's, make decisions based upon the needs and .
These decisions are in turn a policy which is defined as "any .
course of action or inaction that government deliberately choose" (Johnston 1998, .
186). One of the more prevalent issue's in the recent provincial election of Ontario .
was the policy of privatization. James Wallace wrote in the North Bay Nugget on 6 .
September 2003 that Mike Harris" regime brought about private driver licence .
renewal offices, privatization of the 407, privately run health services, growth of .
private schools and hydro privatization. Harris" goal was to eliminate the government .
jobs and bureaucracy guidelines involved in the public sector, thus, being able to .
reduce taxation. However, we saw that the move from public to private was not .
beneficial, especially to health care, education, and hydro. Limiting the role and .
functions of the state through privatization of public holdings reduces the role of .
government which confines the growth of government investment, and acts as a threat .
to citizens" interests and freedoms.
The Trilateral Commission's report "The Crisis of Democracy" outlined that .
government's expansion came the increasing demands of individuals and groups. This .
expansion was derived from "an increasing expectation on the part of groups that .
government has the responsibility to meet their needs" (Crozier, Huntington and .
Watanuki 1975, 43). Privatization contradicts this ideology because it reduces takes .
away essential services that governments should be offering and places them into the .
hands of private companies. Privatization threatens society interests because private .
companies are interested and driven by profit, not goodwill and humanity. For .
instance in the Walkerton case where private companies conducted testing that was .
inadequate because the government privatized the industry and by doing so abolished .
all guidelines and funding to the water testing facilities in Ontario.