Économie politique

G08 - Trade, Investment, and Borders: Current and Long Run Dynamics

Date: May 31 | Heure: 08:45am to 10:15am | Location: Classroom - CL 420 Room ID:15724

Chair/Président/Présidente : Sarah Martin (Memorial University of Newfoundland)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Sarah Sharma (Queen's University)

Exploring Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in the Canadian Hydrocarbon Sector: Anastasia Ufimtseva (Wilfrid Laurier University)
Abstract: In the early 2000’s, Chinese state owned enterprises (SOEs) have expanded their presence in the Canadian hydrocarbon sector. According to Global Data (2012), Chinese SOEs owned 10 percent of Canadian oil assets in 2012. CNOOC’s acquisition of Nexen in 2012 is a landmark deal that stirred a debate among the media, scholars, policymakers, and the public about Chinese investment in the Canadian oil sands. Existing scholarship is focused on the nature of Chinese investment and on the Canadian regulatory response to this investment (Chen 2013; Woo 2014; Dobson 2014). The literature is missing a systematic study on the role of Canadian stakeholders - the public, Aboriginal Groups, non-governmental groups, and policymakers –in shaping SOEs’ investment in the Canadian hydrocarbon sector. My paper aims to fill this gap by answering the following question: how do Canadian stakeholders respond to SOEs’ investment in the hydrocarbon sector and how does their response shape Canadian policy on foreign investment? To answer this question, I use qualitative methodology focused on within-case analysis. My paper will analyze data that I collected during my field work, interviews, and desk research in the springs/summer of 2017. This data will inform my discussion of stakeholder’s opinion on Chinese investment. My preliminary results suggest that an expansion of Canadian investment-screening regulations targeting SOEs’ investment is caused by stakeholders’ growing skepticism about Chinese investment. Thus, I propose that Canadian politicians may resort to protectionist policies in response to uncertainty.

Temporary Work Permits in Canada: Border Control in and Through Labour Market Regulation: Tyler Chartrand (York University)
Abstract: Through an analysis of the 2014 overhaul of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and subsequent regulatory changes, this paper will examine the ways in which temporary work permits function in Canada’s immigration system to reinforce labour market segmentation along lines of (non)citizenship and gender. Temporary work permits are the means through which the Temporary Foreign Worker and International Mobility Programs shape migrant workers’ conditions of entry and “security of presence” (Rajkumar et al. 2012) in Canada. These permits can specify a migrant worker’s employer, place of employment, occupation or position, rate of remuneration, and other employment conditions. Such conditions are identified with, and prescribed by, different sectors on the basis of employers’ demonstrated needs – including so-called “high” or “low”-skilled workers. Yet, the realization of temporary migrant worker policies do not merely meet individual employer demands but also produce a larger aggregate effect on sectors of the national labour market. By examining recent changes to work permit conditions or new variegations of permit categories since 2014, this paper will elucidate the role work permits play in labour market segmentation. In areas such as agriculture, services and caregiving, new rules for temporary work permits are further extending the permanency and scale of temporary migrant work forces in Canada. But with work permits reinforcing segmentations on the bases of (non)citizenship and gender, processes of racialization and feminization ensure individual migrant workers remain precarious and disposable – even as the temporary migrant workforce becomes an enduring aspect of the Canadian labour market.

The Political Ecology of Cocoa in West Africa: Past, Present and Future Challenges: Matthew I. Mitchell (University of Saskatchewan), Christopher Bryant (University of Saskatchewan)
Abstract: In recent years, there has been much discussion made of the environmental threats to the world’s cocoa industry. This has led many in industry circles and the scientific community to raise the alarm bell around the need to develop sustainable practices in the cocoa sector, and to prepare for the impending challenges related to climate change. While there is indeed strong evidence to bolster the claim that more work needs to be done to address the environmental challenges related to cocoa, the sustainability of cocoa cannot be understood without recognizing the wider socio-economic and socio-political factors at play. As such, we argue that a political ecology perspective provides a critical lens for analyzing the deeply politicized nature of the environmental politics surrounding cocoa. Drawing upon previous fieldwork and empirical insights from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana – the world’s leading producers of cocoa – this paper examines the political ecology of cocoa from both an historical and contemporary perspective. This enables us to identify the agrarian relations, political economies and key governance structures that influence the broader sustainability challenges facing the cocoa industry. In so doing, we are able decipher the continuities and discontinuities between the past, present and future. While this analysis acknowledges the legitimate discourses about the perils of future climate change, it underscores the need to view such concerns through a political ecology lens to understand this deeply complex agrarian economy.