Series 4 - Task Force on the Structure of Canadian Industry

0.13 m of textual records

In 1967, at the behest of Walter Gordon, a minister in the federal cabinet, Watkins was appointed head of the federal Task Force on the Structure of Canadian Industry. The federal government at the time was concerned with the impact of high levels of foreign investment on the development of the Canadian economy.[1] The final report, known as the “Watkins report”, recommended strict regulation of foreign investment in Canada and the establishment of the Canada Development Corporation to help facilitate greater Canadian ownership – public shares were offered to Canadians for petroleum, mines and petrochemicals – as well as the Foreign Investment Review Agency to regulate foreign ownership.[2]

Series includes files documenting the activities and Watkin’s role as head of the Task Force. Includes memos and correspondence, meeting minutes, research conducted on behalf of the committee, and report drafts.

[1] Wolfe, David. “Remembering Mel Watkins (1932-2020)”, 6 April 2020, https://politics.utoronto.ca/2020/04/remembering-mel-watkins-1932-2020/
[2] Valpy, Michael. “Prominent socialist intellectual Mel Watkins believed in a political philosophy of compassion” The Globe and Mail, 10 April 2020

Open; some files have been moved to box B2022-0034/016 for conservation reasons, as they were treated and remediated for mould. See file listing for further details.

A copy of the final published report is available through the University of Toronto Libraries' LibrarySearch platform.