State Corporations and Resource Based Development in Quebec, Canada: 1960–1980

Abstract

A case study of state corporations in the forestry, mining, and petroleum sectors in resource frontier regions reveals the extent of state involvement in infrastructure and production in Quebec. The intention of government corporations was to encourage Quebec enterprise, to promote resource extraction in hinterland regions, and to contribute to the “economic liberation” of Quebec, as part of a regional policy of “maîtres chez nous.” A complex set of relationships involving regional and international investments, ideology, and economic nationalism are discussed for the period 1960–1980. It is concluded that the state has become an integral part of regional development in selected resource frontier regions in Quebec.