Mazer Diss Master Post-External REVISIONS 02-05-2019
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Roads to Resources: Uneven Development, Mobile Work, and the Extractive Imaginary in Canada by Katie Mazer A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Geography and Planning University of Toronto © Copyright by Katie Mazer (2019) Roads to Resources: Uneven Development, Mobile Work, and the Extractive Imaginary in Canada Katie Mazer Doctor of Philosophy, 2019 Department of Geography and Planning University of Toronto In recent years it has become common for workers to commute from high unemployment areas of eastern Canada to work in the Alberta oil sands and related industries. Through a genealogical investigation that moves from the post-war decades to the present, this dissertation asks how, and to what end, mobile extractive work has become normal for east coast communities. Drawing on participant observation and action research, in-depth interviews, and archival research in provincial and federal state archives, I illustrate that welfare state policy, rural restructuring, and targeted recruitment have driven workers into long-distance work, but that a narrow set of stories about work and the economy have normalized these extreme labour relations. In the decades after World War Two, as the Canadian state set its sights on modernization and national economic expansion, it formulated the Maritime region as a national problem. Framing the region’s seasonal economies, low productivity, and “underdevelopment” as barriers to national growth, planners and policy-makers worked to remake Maritime economies and people to fit with a vision of the national economy rooted in industrialization, urbanization, and expanded industrial resource extraction. Welfare state programs focused on rural development, modernization, and labour re-organized local material life in powerful ways, but they also broadcast narrow ideas about what types of work, livelihoods, and economies could be part of the future. These enduring stories about ii economic viability, I argue, have naturalized decline, mobility, and market volatility, rendering the region’s remarkable reliance on long-distance resource employment ordinary. By obscuring workers’ experiences of volatility and the underdevelopment that shapes extractive labour markets, this normalization has been a linchpin in Canadian extraction. This research highlights the central role of welfare state policy in producing relations and geographies of extraction in Canada. But the state’s intensive investment in managing peripheral workers and regions also underscores the persistence of economies, lives, and forms of valuation that break from the logic of unending accumulation. iii Acknowledgements This is a long dissertation, written over many years. I have, at times, felt discouraged or lost, but the support that surrounded me seemed to only grow with every page. I arrived in the University of Toronto Department of Geography as a master’s student, having moved to Toronto mostly to be closer to my new nephew, Elliot, rather than because of the department. But, when I found a group of students energetically committed to fostering community, political action, and fun, I quickly got the sense I was in the right place. Many of these people have been, at once, my intellectual collaborators, co-organizers, and dear friends. I owe a special thanks to my long-standing reading group crew, whose companionship and curiosity framed these years: Martine August, Martin Danyluk, Caitlin Henry, Prasad Khanolkar, Laura Pitkanen, Brett Story, and Patrick Vitale. Over the course of my time here, I crossed paths with many other people in this department who made my time so rich. My thanks to: James Nugent, Nicole Latulippe, Lisa Freeman, Paul Jackson, Emily Eaton, Jen Ridgley, Josh Akers, Vanessa Matthews, Amy Siciliano, Shiri Pasternak, Heather Dorries, Zach Anderson, Raili Lakanen, Emily Reid-Musson, Lia Frederiksen, Elsie Lewison, Elizabeth Lord, Amy Buitenhuis, Kat Snukal, Jeff Biggar, Jess Wilczak, David Seitz, Ellie Ade Kur, Sabrien Amrov, Corey Ponder, JP Catungal, David Roberts, Charles Levkoe, Alexis Mitchell, Wes Attewell, Cynthia Morinville, Nickie Van Lier, Ayesha Basit, Saroja Ponnambalam, Diala Lteif, and Ben Butler. Other Toronto-based geographers also belong on this list, especially Dan Cohen, Heather McLean, and Claire Major. Entangled in and beyond the Department of Geography, a motley crew of activists at the University of Toronto taught me new things about collective power, creativity, and love. From my vantage point, it began with U of T General Assembly in 2011—with Alex Conchie, Faraz Shahidi, Johanna Lewis, Daniel Vandervoort, and Zexi Wang, among others—which built models and relationships that flowed into the 2012 CUPE 3902 ‘strike that never was.’ Many of the geographers listed above are central to this story—above all, Caitlin, James, Amy, Patrick, Prasad, and Josh. And beyond geography, Sara Suliman, Ashleigh Ingle, Ozlem Aslan, Jaby Mathew, Jacob Nerenberg, Asli Zengin, and Mai Taha. Working with these folks gave me a little taste of what it might look like to actually invent the world we want into being. I have benefited from the questions, insights, and everyday support of an incredible (and wonderfully large) dissertation committee. Emily Gilbert has a commitment to students that is unparalleled. Her detailed engagement and pointed questions always conveyed both the seriousness with which she took my work and her trust that I could rise to the occasion. This dissertation is unquestionably stronger for it. I did my best learning from Kanishka Goonewardena during the many evenings (over many years) we shared as part of the same reading group. He cracked open the way I understand and use theory, and is always keen to help when I come knocking with more questions. Katharine Rankin helped me navigate the early days of figuring out what it meant to ‘do’ scholarship. Her excitement for my work and her honesty helped me build my voice as a scholar and writer. Sue Ruddick’s teaching had a deep influence on this project. And as a committee member, I often felt like she could get inside my head, skillfully helping me untangle my thoughts and navigate my writing blocks. I have learned a tremendous amount from this eclectic group and am so grateful for their mentorship. At the end, the committee got even bigger and better. My “internal external,” Michelle Buckley, has been enthusiastic about this project since the first time we met. Her insightful questions pushed me to think about this research in completely new and exciting ways. As my external examiner, Geoff Mann’s reflections and questions were not only thoughtful and generous; they also got right at the heart of the things that have stumped me. Thanks to Geoff for prying these questions open and, generally, for his supportive and enthusiastic engagement. iv This dissertation would not have been written without the steadfast support of my supervisor, Deb Cowen. Early on, Deb picked up on my twinned desire and reluctance to anchor this project in my own geographies. It was her gentle but persistent encouragement that convinced me in the end. That type of sensitive intuition has framed her support of this project the whole way through. She anticipated my barriers and strengths at every turn, helped me make sense of chaotic first drafts, and urged me over and over not to censor myself. This patient trust nourished my confidence, creativity, and growth as both a scholar and a person. I am deeply grateful to Deb for the time and energy she has invested in this project and for so generously sharing her insights, enthusiasm, and friendship. I have also benefited from the teaching, guidance, and friendship of other faculty at the University of Toronto. Thanks, especially, to Mike Ekers, Scott Prudham, Alana Boland, and Matt Farish. Thanks to Ted Relph, who first planted the idea of a PhD in my mind. Sara Dorow at the University of Alberta and Suzanne Mills at McMaster University have also been generous with their enthusiasm about and support for this project. The Department of Geography staff keep this operation running smoothly day after day. My thanks, especially, to Mariange Beaudry, Jessica Finlayson, Marika Maslej, Kathy Giesbrecht, Jenny Jung, Yvonne Kenny, Andrew Malcom, and Maria Wowk. My thanks, also, to Myrna for her daily work and all our evening chats. I was lucky to receive funding for this project from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada in the form of a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship. Thanks also to the Canadian Association of University Women Charlottetown, for awarding me the Margaret MacMillan Pratt Graduate Scholarship in the Arts. My travel for this research was supported by a University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies Travel Grant. Writing this dissertation was a whole-body process. I owe tremendous gratitude to Alfie Vente, who helped me mend when I was starting to lose faith that was possible. This research would not have happened without the everyday work of librarians and archivists at several institutions. Thank you to the archivists and staff at Library and Archives Canada, who reliably met my requests as I tried to figure out what I was looking for. My time at the Prince Edward Island Public Archives and Records Office was one my favourite parts of this research. The research was riveting, the atmosphere friendly, and the staff enormously helpful. The archivists there patiently pulled boxes, guided me through the collection, and made me feel welcome as I set myself up day after day. Over two separate periods, I spent many afternoons at the University of Prince Edward Island’s Robertson Library, trying to read as much of the PEI Special Collection as I could. Thank you to all the library staff for making this such a pleasant place to work. Thanks, in particular, to Simon Lloyd for his help and interest. Thanks to Andrea Saldanha, Andrew Waye, Jen Ridgley, Annie McKenzie, and Lynn Chiarelli for generously opening their homes to me during the months I spent in Ottawa.