From Fordism to neoconservatism : free trade and Canadian industrial policy in an era of globalism /

Nothing today affects the lives of people in countries throughout the industrialized and developing world as much as international trade. Nowhere is this more true than in Canada. Canada's involvement in international trade has a long history dating back to 1854 when it was a British colony. As a major trading country, Canada has always adopted a proactive industrial policy which has been largely responsible for its relative economic prosperi ty. But, wi th businesses now free to invest and divest under the terms of the CUFTA and the NAFTA, the most fundamental concerns for Canadians, in a borderless world, are what powers will the Canadian government have to shape industrial policy, and to what extent can Canada continue as a viable nationstate if it can no longer control its national economy? These are important concerns because, in world without borders, the adjustment process becomes more volatile and more difficult to manage. The CUFTA and the NAFTA not only create the rules for conducting trade, but they also establish a set of new rules for the Canadian government that will diminish its power. As a member of a new North American trading bloc, Canada will find itself subject to a set of forces requiring analysis beyond participation in a conventional free trade area. Because many of the traditional levers of government will now be subject to external control imposed by these agreements, Canada will not be able to mount certain policies in the future that it has relied on in the past. This reality limits the pro-active role of the Canadian state to use policies and programmes for the country's immediate national development. What this thesis attempts is an examination of the evolution of Canadian industrial policy, in effect, the transi tion from Fordism to Neoconservatism, and an assessment of Canada's future as a nation-state as it tries to find security and improved access in a free trade arrangement. Unless Canada takes steps to neutralize the asymmetry of power between itself and the United States through adjustment programmes, it is the contention of this thesis that its economic future is anything but stable.

Benefits, challenges, and limitations of fair trade as a social justice movement

This thesis answers some important questions about how Fair Trade is experienced and perceived by some Northern sellers, consumers, activists, advocates, practitioners, and an importer. As it relates to sellers, I focus only on small scale independent businesses (i.e. I do not include large corporate businesses in my interview sample). Fair Trade works to establish a dignified livelihood for many producers in the South. Some of the most important actors in the Fair Trade movement are the people who buy, sell, and/or advocate for Fair Trade in the North. Fair Trade is largely a consumer movement which relies on the purchase of Fair Trade products. Without consumers purchasing Fair Trade products, retailers providing the products for sale, and activists raising awareness of Fair Trade, the movement, as it is presently constituted, would be non-existent. This qualitative research is based on 19 in-depth i.nterviews with nine interviewees involved with Fair Trade in Canada. I focus on benefits, challenges, and limitations of Fair Trade in the context of their involvement with it. I describe and analyze how people become involved with Fair Trade, what motivates them to do so, what they hope to achieve, and the benefits of being involved. I also describe and analyze how people understand and deal with any challenges and limitations associated with their involvement with Fair Trade. I also explore whether involvement with Fair Trade influences how people think about other products that they purchase and, if so, in what ways. I focus mainly on the commodity of coffee, but my discussion is not limited to this single commodity. Interviewees' experiences with and participation in Fair Trade vary in terms of their level of involvement and interest in the broader Fair Trade movement (as opposed to just participating in the market component). This research reveals that while Fair Trade is a small movement, sellers, consumers, and activists have had much success in the advancement of Fair Trade. While challenges have not deterred interviewees from continuing to participate in Fair Trade, analysis and explanation of such challenges provides the opportunity for Fair Trade practitioners to develop effective solutions in an effort to meet the needs of various Fair Trade actors.

Ontario Tender Fruit Grower’s Marketing Board Fonds, 1960, 1967, 1969-1977, 1980-1981, 1987

The Ontario Tender Fruit Marketing Board operates under the Farm Producers Marketing Act. It covers all tender fruit farmers who produce either fresh or canned products. Today the board has over 500 grower-members. Tender fruit in the Niagara region includes: peaches, pears, plums, grapes and cherries. The fruits are used in a number of different ways, from jams and jellies to desserts, sauces and wine. Peaches were first harvested along the Niagara river in 1779. Peter Secord (Laura Secord’s uncle) is thought to be the first farmer to plant fruit trees when he took a land grant near Niagara in the mid 1780s. Since the beginnings of Secord’s farm, peaches, pears and plums have been grown in the Niagara region ever since. However, none of the original varities of peach trees remain today. Peaches were often used for more than eating by early settlers. The leaves and bark of the tree was used to make teas for conditions such as chronic bronchitis, coughs and gastritis. Cherries have been known to have anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties. Like peaches and cherries, pears had many uses for the early pioneers. The wood was used to make furniture. The juice made excellent ciders and the leaves provided yellow dyes. Plums have been around for centuries, not only in the Niagara region, but throughout the world. They have appeared in pre-historic writings and were present for the first Thanksgiving in 1621. The grape industry in Ontario has also been around for centuries. It began in 1798 when land was granted to Major David Secord (brother-in-law to Laura Secord) slightly east of St. David’s, on what is Highway No. 8 today. Major Secord’s son James was given a part of the land in 1818 and in 1857 passed it onto Porter Adams. Adams is known to be the first person to plant grapes in Ontario1. Tender fruits are best grown in warm temperate climates. The Niagara fruit belt, stretching 65km from Hamilton to Niagara on the Lake, provides the climate necessary for this fruit production. This belt produces 90% of Ontario’s annual tender fruit crop. It is one of the largest fruit producing regions in all of Canada.

The Political Economy of St. Catharines' Illicit Taxi Trade

The global restructuring of production has led to increasingly precarious working conditions around the world. Post-industrial work is characterized by poor working conditions, low wages, a lack of social protection and political representation and little job security. Unregulated forms of work that are defined as “irregular” or “illegal”, or in some cases “criminal,” are connected to sweeping transformations within the broader regulated (formal) economy. The connection between the formal and informal sectors can more accurately be described as co-optation and, as a subordinate integration of the informal to the formal. The city of St. Catharines within Niagara, along with much of Ontario’s industrial heartland, has been hard hit by deindustrialization. The rise of this illegal service is thus viewed against the backdrop of heavy economic restructuring, as opportunities for work in the manufacturing sector have become sparse. In addition, this research also explores the paradoxical co-optation of the growing illicit taxi economy and consequences for racialized and foreign credentialed labour in the taxi industry. The overall objective of this research is to explore the illicit cab industry as not only inseparable from the formal economy, but dialectically, how it is as an integrated and productive element of the public and private transportation industry. Furthermore the research examines what this co-optation means in the context of a labour market that is split by race.

Meat Packers Council of Canada records, 1954-1961

The Meat Packers Council of Canada was originally founded in 1919 in an effort to encourage farmers to produce better quality livestock. Originally known as the Industrial and Development Council of Canadian Meat Packers, charter members included Harris Abattoir Co. Ltd.; William Davies Co. Ltd.; Swift Canadian Co. Ltd.; Gunns Ltd.; Canadian Packing Co. Ltd.; Puddy’s Ltd.; F.W. Fearman Co.; Ingersol Packing Co. Ltd.; Whyte Packing Co. Ltd.; Gallagher-Holman & Lafrance Co. Ltd.; Gordon – Fronside and Fares Packers Ltd.; Wilson Canadian Co. Ltd.; and Armour & Co. Most of these firms were based in Ontario, but the Council’s operations were soon expanded with the opening of a western and eastern field office. The Council was incorporated in 1961. In 1980, the name changed to the Canadian Meat Council.

Ontario Forest Industries Association records, 1900-1989, n.d.

The Ontario Forest Industries Association (OFIA) was founded in 1944. It is a provincial trade association that represents member companies who produce a wide range of products, including pulp, paper, paperboard, lumber, panelboard, plywood and veneer. The OFIA works with its member companies to address issues of common interest and concern, and communicates these issues to the appropriate government, industrial or business sector. The Ontario Forest Information Service represented the OFIA from 1951 to 1988 as the publishers of their industry periodicals. Bush News was the first periodical published by the Service for the OFIA and ran until 1964, when it was replaced by Ontario Logger. In 1968, the name was changed to The Logger. In 1970, this was replaced by The Forest Scene. This new periodical was a departure from the earlier versions, which had served primarily as an internal communication system for the industry. The Forest Scene adopted a new format and editorial approach, emphasizing outdoor activities, recreation, hunting and fishing, conservation, and forestry operations and methods, thus appealing to a much wider readership. The Forest Scene ceased publication in 1988.

Office at Port Dalhousie statement of trade upwards on the Welland Canal during the years, 1857-1861

Office at Port Dalhousie statement of trade upwards on the Welland Canal during the years (10 pages of hand drawn charts), 1857-1861.

Comparative statement of different classes of trade passing downward through the Welland Canal at Port Colborne during the years 1857-1861

Comparative statement of different classes of trade passing downward through the Welland Canal at Port Colborne during the years 1857-1861 (1 page, hand drawn chart), Jan.25, 1862.

List entitled “Farm” including produce and prices

List entitled “Farm” including produce and prices, 1866-1867.

List of produce items and prices

List of produce items and prices, n.d.

List of produce items and prices

List of produce items and prices, 1869.

List entitled “Balance acct.” including taxes, trips to St. Catharines and produce

List entitled “Balance acct.” including taxes, trips to St. Catharines and produce, 1870.