The Canadian Grain Trade - An Introductory Outline.

Publisher:  Canadian Council for International Co-operation, Regina, Canada
Year Published:  1976  
Resource Type:  Article
Cx Number:  CX50

Outline of the grain trade in Canada and parallels to the situation underlying the New International Economic Order.

Abstract:  This outline of the grain trade of Canada points out some parallels to the situation that underlies the New International Economic Order. The history of grain agriculture in Canada from 1605 when the first wheat was grown at Port Royal to the present is detailed with emphasis on the growing gap between input costs and output prices and the formation of a producers' association to deal with this gap. After documenting the history of the boom and bust cycle of Canadian prairie agricultural production and showing that beneath this cycle the prices of primary commodities have slipped relative to the price of manufactured goods, the role of agriculture in the continental economy is summarised. Then, some questions are raised about the appropriateness and compatibility of the process of development of prairie agriculture and Third World aspirations.
In an appendix, two charts detail the relationship of some of the major corporations in the Grain Trade - James Richardson & Sons Ltd., Brascan and Cargill. There is also a three page appendix of resources for further inquiry.
This paper was prepared as part of a research project sponsored by the prairie region of the Canadian Council for International Co-operation to bring the N.I.E.O. home to the prairies.

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