Essays in Canadian Economic History

Harold A. Innis helped to found the field of Canadian economic history. He is best known for the "staples thesis" which dominated the discourse of Canadian economic history for decades. This volume collects Innis' published and unpublished essays on economic history, from 1929 to 1952, thereby charting the development of the arguments and ideas found in his books The Fur Trade in Canada and The Cod Fisheries. These essays capture Innis' ever evolving views on the practices and uses of economic history as well as Canadian economic history. The new introduction written by prominent historian Matthew Evenden provides a fresh take on Innis life's work and situates the essays in the context of his scholarship as well as recent studies on Canadian economic history. This volume offers invaluable insight into one of Canada's most original thinkers and his interpretation of our nation's history.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Introduction The Teaching of Economic History in Canada The Work of Thorstein Veblen An Introduction to the Economic History of the Maritimes, Including Newfoundland and New England The Rise and Fall of the Spanish Fishery in Newfoundland Transportation as a Factor in Canadian Economic History Government Ownership and the Canadian Scene Interrelations between the Fur Trade of Canada and the United States An Introduction to the Economic History of Ontario from Outpost to Empire The Canadian Economy and the Depression Unused Capacity as a Factor in Canadian Economic History An Introduction to Canadian Economic Studies Labour in Canadian Economic History Significant Factors in Canadian Economic Development The Historical Development of the Dairy Industry in Canada Transportation in the Canadian Economy Economic Trends in Canadian-American Relations The Lumber Trade in Canada The Penetrative Powers of the Price System The Wheat Economy The Changing Structure of the Canadian Market Recent Developments in the Canadian Economy The Canadian Mining Industry Imperfect Regional Competition and Political Institutions on the North Atlantic Seaboard Liquidity Preference as a Factor in Industrial Development Decentralization and Democracy The Political Implications of Unused Capacity The Church in Canada Great Britain, the United States, and Canada Index

About the Author :
Harold A. Innis was a professor of political economy at the University of Toronto and the author of seminal works on media and communication theory. Mary Quayle Innis (1899-1972) was an economist, writer, editor, and academic administrator. She was the dean of women at University College, University of Toronto, for a number of years, and she was married to noted economics historian, Harold A. Innis. Matthew Evenden is a professor in the Department of Geography as well as the Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies at the University of British Columbia.