Manitoba Commercial Market Gardening, 1945-1997

This study examines the historical development of Manitoba farming in general and of the labour-intensive sector of commercial market gardening in particular. It discusses the various ethnic groups that have been mobilized by the state to form the provincial farm labour force, examining how class, race, and ethnic relations have manifested themselves in Manitoba commercial market gardening. After chapters on social relations in Canadian agriculture and on Manitoba market gardening (early development, post-war trends, marketing strategies, contracts with food processors) it examines past & present labour sources. Of particular importance is the rise of the Manitoba Farm Workers Association, primarily of Aboriginal membership, and the import of Mexican seasonal workers. Finally, it compares & contrasts the former US-Mexico Bracero Program and the present Canada-Mexico Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program, and evaluates the future of Manitoba commercial market gardening based on the effects of both the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the North American FTA.