CANADIAN ECONOMIC HISTORY
ECONOMICS 310
November 2006
Study guide for Christmas Examination
1. According to the staples thesis, each staple creates a set of linkages which
stimulate the economic development of the region. Discuss the factors
which determine whether a region is able to capture the linkages of the
staple it produces?
2. By the mid 17th century New England had a population of perhaps
50,000, Quebec about 3,000 and Newfoundland had a trivial permanent
population. Explain the reasons why these colonies developed so
differently.
3. Compare and contrast the impact of Europeans on native peoples in
Central America and on native peoples in Canada, giving explanations for
the differences.
4. Describe the various types of native economies found in Canada at about
the time of European contact.
5. Discuss the impact of monopoly on the fur trading companies and no
native peoples.
6. Discuss the place of Canada in trade within North America and between
North America and Europe in the 17th and the 18th centuries.
7. During the early 17th century a number of attempts were made to settle
Newfoundland, but they all failed. At the same time, settlement was
established and flourished in New England. Use the staples theory and
the settlement model to explain why settlement was so much more
successful in New England than in Newfoundland. Do these models tell
the whole story? Explain briefly.
8. Explain why the fur trade had a strong tendency towards monopoly.
9. Discuss why the Spanish discovery of the New World had a lasting
impact on the economies of the new and old world while the Viking
discovery of the New World had no lasting impact.
10. Fishermen may have begun coming to Newfoundland to dry fish as early
as the late 15th century, but a residential fishery replaced the migratory
fishery only at the end of the 18th century. Explain the factors which
delayed the growth of a residential fishery.
11. How would the evolution of Canada's economy have differed if there had
been no European demand for furs in the 17th and 18th centuries?
12. The early history of the regions which became Canada consisted of a few
relatively unimportant colonies in the new world. Survey the various new
world colonies, outlining the nature of their economies and their
relationships to each other, and discuss the extent to which their economic
activities met the mercantilist goals of their mother country.
13. The fishery and the fur trade differed greatly in their organisation.
Compare and contrast the nature of competition in the two industries and
discuss the impact of competition on the income of the participants in
each trade
14. Use the staples model to explain the impact of fish and fur production on
the pace and nature of economic development. Which staple was better
for the economic development of a region? Justify your answer.
15. Using the staples thesis, describe the linkages of the fur trade and discuss
the contribution of that industry to the economic and political
development of Canada.
16. The staples thesis argues that economic development is driven by the
markets for staple export products while the livelihood model argues that
the productive capacity of a region is more important in determining
development. Discuss which approach best explains the development of
Ontario up to Confederation.
17. The staples thesis argues that the pace of development of a region is
determined by the external demand for a staple and the richness of the
staple's linkages. Briefly describe the staples which were important in the
colonies of British North American before Confederation and discuss the
impact of the success or failure of staples production on the rate of
settlement and the pace of economic development in those colonies.
18. Using the staples thesis, discuss the factors which determined the timing
of the development of the timber industry in British North America.
19. Commentators often assumed that the abundance of land resulted in little
real poverty and relatively equal social status among settlers. Discuss the
extent to which the evidence supports the assumption of equality of
opportunity in Quebec, the Maritimes and Ontario in the early nineteenth
century.
20. New world colonies tended to be abundant in natural resources, and have
relatively short supplies of capital and labour. Discuss the implications of
this economic situation for diversification away from natural resource
production, considering the role of tariffs and transportation costs in your
discussion.
21. During the early 19th century, transportation improvements were
introduced through railroad and canal building and local road
construction. What was the likely impact of these changes on the income
of merchants, farmers, and manufacturers?
22. Between the beginning of British control of the territories which became
Canada to Confederation Britain moved from a policy of mercantilism to a
policy of free trade, but the British North American Colonies became free
to set their own tariffs. Discuss the changes in British tariff policies, and
explain the differences in the tariff policies of the Canadas, New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Include the Reciprocity Treaty in your
discussion.
23. From 1840-1867 many changes occurred in the transportation system and
tariff structure of British North America. Discuss the economic impact of
these changes on British North America and consider the extent to which
they aided the development of the economy as a whole or they merely
benefited a particular interest group.
24. Galt claimed that the tariff changes introduced in Canada in the 1850s
were intended to raise needed revenue and were only incidentally
protective. Discuss the structure of the tariff schedule imposed and
determine if his statement is plausible. Compare the tariff policies of New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia before Confederation and explain why those
provinces adopted somewhat different policies.
25. The fur trade, like many other natural resource sectors, suffered from
depletion of natural resources. Discuss the evidence that depletion
occurred and consider the changes in the extent of depletion which
occurred when there was competition between rival trading companies
compared to when one company monopolised the trade.
26. Equality of opportunity and efficiency in development of agriculture are
two goals we might believe a land granting system should achieve.
Compare and contrast the extent to which the Seigneurial system and the
British land granting practices in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth
centuries achieved these goals.
27. During the early nineteenth century, both Upper Canada and Lower
Canada invested in a number of canals, but a complete system of canals
along the St. Lawrence River was only finished in the 1840s after
unification of the two colonies. Explain the benefits of improvements in
transportation to an economy and discuss the reasons why the Lower
Canadian legislature was less willing to invest in canals along the St.
Lawrence than the Upper Canadian legislature.
28. From 1840-1867 many changes occurred in the transportation system and
tariff structure of British North America. Discuss the economic impact of
these changes on British North America and consider the extent to which
they aided the development of the economy as a whole or they merely
benefited a particular interest group.
29. Using the livelihood model, explain the differences in the economic
development of the Maritimes and Ontario at the time of Confederation.
30. From the mid 19th century into the 20th century, domestic manufacturing
in the household was increasingly replaced by manufacturing in artisan
shops, small workshops and increasing factories. Discuss the evolution of
manufacturing and use the discussion of economics of scale in the
livelihood model to explain the transition.