BOOKS IN REVIEW (March 16, 1992)

The Geography of the Canadian North, by Robert Bone, Oxford University Press, Toronto. $19.95.

Author Robert Bone, geography professor at the University of Saskatchewan, addresses factors pertinent to the North’s economic development. They include rapidly evolving decision-making processes and institutions; an almost overwhelming government presence; an expanding but still feeble wage economy largely built on mineral resources and on government services; fast growing aboriginal populations and their heightened expectations.

Despite Bone’s generally accurate grasp of the facts about the mining industry, he is inclined to underestimate the influence of a rapidly integrating global economy.

“Having corporate leaders in the North would provide them with a fuller appreciation of the North and perhaps affect their decisions regarding plant openings and closures,” he writes, adding that “Large foreign firms dominate the resource industry.” Bone ignores that Canadian control in mining is about 70%.

On the whole, this book represents a valiant attempt to enhance understanding of the North. It should be required reading for anyone who hopes to contribute to the solution of the problems that will still face this fascinating region in the next generation.

— George Miller is president of the Mining Association of Canada.