The Evolution of City-Region Food Governance in Montreal Food Politics, Policy and Planning Under Quebec’S Neoliberal Turn
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The Evolution of City-Region Food Governance in Montreal Food Politics, Policy and Planning Under Quebec’s Neoliberal Turn Hugo Martorell A thesis in the School of Graduated Studies Presented in Partial Fulfillment For the Degree of Arts (Individualized Program) at Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada August 2017 © Hugo Martorell CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY School of Graduate Studies This is to certify that the thesis prepared By: Hugo Martorell Entitled: The Evolution of City-Region Food Governance in Montreal Food Politics, Policy and Planning Under Quebec’s Neoliberal Turn and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Individualized Program) complies with the regulations of the University and meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and quality. Signed by the final Examining Committee: _________________________________ Chair Chair’s name _________________________________ Examiner Examiner’s name _________________________________ Examiner Examiner’s name _________________________________ Supervisor Supervisor’s name Approved by __________________________________________________________________ Chair of Department or Graduate Program Director _________ 2017 ______________________________________________ Dean of Faculty Abstract Municipal Food policy councils (FPC) are emerging across Canada. They are innovative governance models that fill an institutional gap by activating policy and engagement at the municipal level. Territorial, or city-region, food systems are the systems of innovation, which combine the goals of quality, health, ecology, fairness and participative democracy. Multi-level and cross-sectorial partnerships can help re-adjust the institutional context to enable, facilitate and champion the emergence of social innovations carried by civic food networks (CFNs). The process of creating an FPC opens a window on the food politics of a place, its actors, and history. This thesis illustrates some of the challenges city-regions may face by providing an in-depth case study of Montreal, Quebec. This thesis explores the influence of the provincial “neoliberal turn” on food planners and CFNs since early 2000. I highlight how neoliberalism has interacted with the institutional legacy of the "Quebec model". In turn, I follow the social formation of groups and coalitions that shape the regional policy networks from 1986 to 2016 and their interactions with public sector organizations. This work adopts a multi-method approach to analyze the negotiations and arrangements within the 2014-2016 Montreal Food Systems Action Plan. Specifically, this thesis uses an assessment tool built on the premises of Actor-Network Theory to evaluate whether the action plan meets the conditions for an effective partnership. I identify the territorial, technical and political dynamic inside and outside this hybrid public sector-civil society partnership to explain its eventual transition into a municipally mandated Food policy council. Key words: social innovation, municipal food policy councils, city-region food systems, civic food networks, actor-network theory. To cite: Martorell, H. (2017). The Evolution of City-Region Food Governance in Montreal: Food Politics, Policy and Planning Under Quebec’s Neoliberal Turn. Masters of Arts, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. iii Acknowledgments I am grateful to all those who believed, and got involved, in Justice alimentaire Montréal, which set the stage for me to start my lifelong journey in food politics and policy change. Not only did I get the chance to learn from my peers, students and activists alike, but I also met my life partner and friend, Jamie Robinson. Thank you for your tireless support, unconditional trust and patience. I’m infinitely grateful to my parents, Marie-Pascale and Rafael, and my three sisters, who’ve seen me indefinitely extend my stay in Canada and who’ve supported me throughout this degree. This work would not have been possible without the mentorship, trust and patience of the innovators and thought leaders involved in the Plan d’action du système alimentaire équitable et durable de la collectivité montréalaise (SAM 2014-2016). I had the privilege of working with progressive food systems practitioners and long time advocates. Specifically, I wish to acknowledge some of my colleagues who’ve played a role in the formation of my ideas and who have contributed their expertise, time and effort to the creation of a municipal-sponsored Food Policy Council while I was studying at Concordia. I sincerely hope this thesis echoes your contributions and work: Ghalia Chahine (SAM), Rotem Ayalon (Québec en Forme), Gaelle Janvier (Alternatives), Jean-Phillipe Vermette (Carrefour alimentaire Centre Sud/ Laboratoire en Agriculture Urbaine), David Marshall (RUI St Pierre), Chantal Vézina (CIBIM), Louis Drouin (DSP) and Jean Paul Faniel (Table sur la Faim). I’d also like to thank Julie Strecko (DSP) for her insightful comments before I sent the survey. This work would not have been possible without the advice and help from faculty members across a breadth of disciplines. I’m especially thankful to Dr. Satoshi Ikeda (Concordia, Sociology and Anthropology) who has inspired so many students to challenge academic conventions and get involved in food politics around campus. Thank you also to Dr. Marguerite Mendell (Concordia, Community and Public Affairs) for introducing me to Quebec’s history, the legacy of the social and solidarity economy and the commons. I’d also like to thank Drs. Rosemary Reilly and Don de Guerre (Concordia, Applied Human Sciences), who’ve taught me that participatory action research is more difficult than it appears. I also extend my thanks to Nii Addy (McGill, Management) for joining the committee late in the process and introducing me to the Food: Locally Embedded, Globally Engaged (FLEdGE) research network. I’m also thankful to Diana Bronson and Jennifer Reynolds from Food Secure Canada, for keeping my feet on the ground, and providing me with the opportunity to work as a research assistant with Drs. Peter Andrée (Carleton, Political Sciences) and Alison Blay-Palmer (Wilfrid Laurier, Geography and Environmental Studies) to study the provincial and national food policy landscape as part of the iv FLEdGE grant. I’d like to acknowledge the contributions of faculty members of the Université de Montréal. Dr. Angèle Bilodeau (Public Health) oriented my work and methodology by introducing me to Actor- Network Theory (ANT) and partnership evaluation, and was generous in giving her time to discuss the results of my work. Finally, I’d thank those who have read over the evaluation report I conducted for SAM 2014-2016 Action Plan, and especially Drs. André-Anne Parent (Social Work) and Geneviève Mercille (Nutrition) for their constructive reviews. v List of tables and diagrams: Table 1: Summary of the conditions for effective partnerships, p.32. Table 2: Summary table of participant observation, p.41. Table 3: Institutional arrangements of the Goal 2 SAM 2014-2016 Action Plan, p.81. Table 4: Institutional arrangements of the Goal 3 of the SAM 2014-2016 Action Plan, p.82. Table 5: Institutional arrangements of the Goal 4 of the SAM 2014-2016 Action Plan, p.82 Diagram 1: Participant who submitted a position paper to consultation, p. 92. vi List of acronyms: ANT: Actor Network Theory BICIM: Bio-Food Council of the Island of Montreal CC: Coordination Committee CDC: Community Development Corporations CEDC: Community Economic Development Corporations CFN: Civic Food Networks CREO: Conference of Regional Elected Officials CRFS: City Region Food Systems CSO: Civil Society Organization FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization FPC: Food policy council LDC: Local Development Centres MAFF: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec MASH: Municipal Agencies, Schools and Hospital Sectors MHSS: Ministry of Health and Social Services MPA: Montréal physiquement actif MUFP: Milan Urban Food Policy Pact PC: Partners’ Committee RRHL: Regional Roundtable on Healthy Lifestyles RPHA: Regional Public Healthy Agency RFP: Request for Proposal SAM: Système alimentaire montréalais, Plan d’action du système alimentaire équitable et durable de la collectivité montréalaise TFS: Territorial Food Systems TT: Technical Team UA: Urban Agriculture UAWG: Urban Agriculture Working Group UPA: Union des producteurs agricoles. QEF: Québec en Forme vii Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2. Key concepts, approaches and research issues ................................................................. 7 2.1. Social innovation and institutional change in Quebec ........................................................... 7 2.2. Territorial and city-region food systems ................................................................................. 8 2.3. City-region food governance .................................................................................................. 13 2.4. Municipal food councils and plans ......................................................................................... 17 2.5. Research problems and research questions .......................................................................... 20 Chapter 3. Methodology and data ....................................................................................................... 22 3.1. Introduction to Actor-Network