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Home>> Issues and Challenges>> Historical Overview>> Politics and Economics |
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Politics and Economics | |||
The state played an important role in shaping the coal industry. Federal, provincial and territorial authorities all sought to encourage coal mining as a means of promoting economic development and insuring a stable fuel supply in the West. The federal and regional authorities, however, ultimately differed in terms of the constituencies they served. The territorial and provincial governments shaped policy in the interests of the West and supported mining development, almost without reservation, as a means to this end. The federal government viewed the industry in a larger Canadian context which also included the interests of consumers in eastern Canada. The responsibility for the
industry differed in British Columbia and the area which became
Alberta in 1905. In the former, the responsibility was primarily
provincial. In the latter, until 1930 the authority was split
between Ottawa and Alberta--the federal government controlling
natural resources and hence
mineral rights; the territorial
government before 1905, and the province afterwards, controlling
the regulation of mining operations. After the
William N.T. Wylie, "Coal-Mining Landscapes: Commemorating Coal Mining in Alberta and Southeastern British Columbia," a report prepared for the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Parks Canada Agency, 2001. See Also: The Coal
Industry—Overview, Rapid Expansion,
Domestic and Steam Coalfields,
1914-1947: The Struggling Industry,
Collapse and Rebirth,
Settlement of the West,
Issues and Challenges—Overview,
Entrepreneurship, Technology,
Underground Techniques,
Surface Technology,
Surface Mining,
Social Impacts,
Unions,
1882-1913: Unionization and Early Gains,
1914-1920: Revolutionary Movement,
1921-1950s: Labour Unrest and
Setbacks, Mining Companies, People of
the Coal Mines,
The Middle Class,
Miners and Local
Government,
Politics and Economics ,
Environmental Impacts,
Health and Safety—Overview,
The State and
Labour Relations,
The State and
Development after 1918 |
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