Canada S Great Grain Robbery

The Rape of Canola is the story of the seed that became the "darling of edible oils." Once regarded as little more than a weed, rape transformed into canola. With stories by the people involved in the process, this book examines the seed, the crop and its processing by large transnational corporations.

"The eighteen essays selected for this volume of the History of the Prairie West Series all focus on the agricultural history of the Canadian Plains. They cover a detailed survey of First Nations agricultural practices, agriculture during the fur trade era, and the history of ranching and the evolution as fenced-in farm settlements supplanted the open range." -- from publisher.

Written in the early 1980s, The Future of Grain examines Canada's growing grain exports and the outlook for the industry's future. The authors examine the prospects such an increase holds for the largely static Canadian industries connected to grain: manufacturers of agricultural machinery, pesticides and fertilizers; processing industries such as feed and flour milling, canola crushing and barley malting. And they suggest improvements to every aspect of government involvement--from measures to conserve Prairie soil to macroeconomic policy--that affects this important sector. The Future of Grain offers a valuable analysis of this important agricultural sector at a vital time in its history.

The year 1987 marks the 75th anniversary of the Canada Grain Act and theformation of the Board of Grain Commissioners, established by the Governmentof Canada in response to demands by western producers for regulation of thegrain gathering and transportation system. This book presents the history ofthis government agency and its development side-by-side with the Canadiangrain industry, the producers, and the gathering system, also includingbackground to the establishment of the Commission.

This book traces in an accurate and objective manner the sequence of events during the last twenty years which have influenced the organization fo the Canadian grain trade. During these years problems arising out of the production and marketing of western grain have been under continuous review in Canada, leading at different times to royal commissions of inquiry. The production and sale of cereals have become such a vital part of the economic life of the three prairie provinces and, indeed, of Canada, that anything affecting this great industry becomes at once a subject of general interest. These twenty years have witnessed momentous changes. The period marks a shift from free trading on the open market to the compulsory marketing of Canadian wheat and other grains through the medium of a Federal board endowed with wide powers. Basically, this change stems from conditions arising out of the Great Depression and World War II. And in one form or another the Canadian Wheat Board will continue to be a significant factor in the marketing of Canadian wheat. Noteworth also have been the dramatic recovery of the Pools and the negotiation of international agreements; and, on the farm front, the establishment of a permit system to control deliveries of grain to country elevators, and the enactment of legislation to protect producers against losses arising from the hazards of nature.

"The formation of the Territorial Grain Growers Association in 1901 was not the only important event in the early history of what has come to be known broadly as the agrarian movement in the Canadian prairies, but it was a defining moment in some respects. Arguably it signalled the formation of an agrarian class, but at least it was an indicator of an awakening of a democratic consciousness among family farmers. Ultimately, the Association provided a venue for analysis and critique, the development of strategies and tactics, and of course the nurturing of leadership and organizational forms that would have a profound influence upon politics and the state in the three prairie provinces and the Dominion, as well as the creation of co-operatives and other forms of direct action. These eighteen essays honouring the 100th anniversary (in 2001) of the formation of the TGGA explore important aspects of the historical legacy of the agrarian movement and contemplate their relevance to the current setting for the rural prairies."--pub. desc.