Melville Henry Watkins (May 15, 1932 – April 2, 2020)
was a Canadian
political economist
Political economy is the study of how economic systems (e.g. markets and national economies) and political systems (e.g. law, institutions, government) are linked. Widely studied phenomena within the discipline are systems such as labour m ...
and activist and
professor emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
of
economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...
and
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
. He was a founder and co-leader with
James Laxer of
the Waffle
The Waffle (also known as the Movement for an Independent Socialist Canada) was a radical wing of Canada's New Democratic Party (NDP) in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It later transformed into an independent political party, with little elec ...
, a
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
political formation within the
New Democratic Party that advocated an "independent socialist Canada" and
Canadian nationalism.
He was appointed a Member of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the cen ...
in 2019.
Life and career
Watkins was born on May 15, 1932, on a farm near
McKellar, Ontario
McKellar is a township and census subdivision in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada. Per the 2016 Census, it has a population of 1111.
McKellar is named for Archibald McKellar (1816-1894), a member of the legislative assemblies for the p ...
; one of six children born to Wilmot and Sadie Watkins.
At the age of 16, he and his twin brother, Murray, enrolled at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
where among his lecturers was
Harold Innis
Harold Adams Innis (November 5, 1894 – November 9, 1952) was a Canadian professor of political economy at the University of Toronto and the author of seminal works on media, communication theory, and Canadian economic history. He helped deve ...
, whose
staples thesis became a lifelong influence on his thinking.
He pursued graduate work as a
classical economist at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
. He became a professor of economics at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
in 1958
and, in 1963, published an academic article, "A Staple Theory of Economic Growth”, which revised and updated Innis's staples thesis and was influential in the growing Canadian economic nationalist movement and also brought him to the attention of
Canadian finance minister Walter L. Gordon
Walter Lockhart Gordon (January 27, 1906 – March 21, 1987) was a Canadian accountant, businessman, politician, and writer.
Education
Born in Toronto, he was educated at Upper Canada College and the Royal Military College of Canada in Kings ...
.
His political activity followed his work heading up the federal government's Task Force on Foreign Ownership and the Structure of Canadian Investment, which investigated the impact of growing American control of the
Canadian economy
The economy of Canada is a highly developed mixed-market economy. It is the 8th-largest GDP by nominal and 15th-largest GDP by PPP in the world. As with other developed nations, the country's economy is dominated by the service industry wh ...
. Striking this task force of economists had been urged upon the
Pearson Pearson may refer to:
Organizations Education
*Lester B. Pearson College, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
*Pearson College (UK), London, owned by Pearson PLC
*Lester B. Pearson High School (disambiguation)
Companies
*Pearson PLC, a UK-based int ...
government by former
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
finance minister
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...
Walter Gordon. The "Watkins Report", as it was widely known, was issued in 1968 and recommended strict regulation of foreign investment in Canada, particularly
foreign ownership of Canadian businesses and resources. Its findings led to the establishment of the
Canada Development Corporation
The Canada Development Corporation was a Canadian corporation, based in Toronto, created and partly owned by the federal government and charged with developing and maintaining Canadian-controlled companies in the private sector through a mixture o ...
to help facilitate greater Canadian ownership as well as the
Foreign Investment Review Agency
The Foreign Investment Review Agency (FIRA) was established by the Canadian Parliament in 1973 to ensure that the foreign acquisition and establishment of businesses in Canada was beneficial to the country. The Foreign Investment Review Act that cr ...
to regulate foreign ownership.
[
His concern for Canadian economic sovereignty led him to join others in 1969 to found the Waffle, which issued a '' Manifesto for an Independent Socialist Canada'' calling for increased ]public ownership
State ownership, also called government ownership and public ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, or enterprise by the state or a public body representing a community, as opposed to an individual or private party. Public ownershi ...
of the economy as a means of securing Canadian independence from the United States, as well as establishing social and economic equity. The group was essentially expelled from the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1972 and while Watkins supported the group's attempt to form a new left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
political party, the Movement for an Independent Socialist Canada, his interest and involvement waned, particularly when he left to spend time in the far north to investigate the living conditions of the Dene
The Dene people () are an indigenous group of First Nations who inhabit the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languages. ''Dene'' is the common Athabaskan word for "people". The term "Dene" ha ...
people.[ After the collapse of the Waffle in 1974, Watkins spent most of his time teaching and writing.
In the early 1970s, Watkins was hired by the Dene Nation (then known as the Indian Brotherhood of the Northwest Territories) as the economic adviser for their delegation to the ]Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry
{{No footnotes, date=April 2009
The Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry, also known as the Berger Inquiry after its head Justice Thomas Berger, was commissioned by the Government of Canada on March 21, 1974, to investigate the social, environmental, ...
.
In the 1980s and 1990s, he was active in opposition to the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement
The Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA), official name as the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the United States of America (french: links=no, Accord de libre-échange entre le Canada et les États-Unis d'Amérique), wa ...
and then to the North American Free Trade Agreement describing them as "charters of rights for corporations."
He eventually rejoined the NDP, and ran as its candidate in Beaches—East York
Beaches—East York (formerly Beaches—Woodbine) is a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1988. This riding is situated east of ...
in the 1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
and 2000 federal elections. He placed second on both occasions behind Liberal Maria Minna.[
Watkins supported the ]New Politics Initiative
The New Politics Initiative (NPI) was a faction of Canada's New Democratic Party. It was generally viewed to be further left than Alexa McDonough's leadership, but not as far left as the Socialist Caucus.
The NPI believed that the NDP was movin ...
, which was formed in 2001 to attempt to convince the NDP to join with social movements to found a new left-wing party. He retired from academia and moved to Constance Bay in eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario (census population 1,763,186 in 2016) (french: Est de l'Ontario) is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River. It s ...
, where he continued to write a column for '' This Magazine'' and pieces for other publications. He was also a board member of and regular contributor to the online newsmagazine '' Straight Goods''. He also served as president of Science for Peace, and a was a was member of Pugwash Canada.
Bibliography
*''Madness & Ruin: Politics and the Economy in the Neoconservative Age'' (1992).
*''Canada Under Free Trade'' (1993).
*''Dene Nation: The Colony Within'' (1977).
Electoral record
References
External links
Mel Watkins's Blog
at rabble.ca
rabble.ca is an alternative, left-leaning English-language Canadian online magazine founded in 2001. It features podcasts, videos and a discussion board called ''babble''.
History
Judy Rebick and Mark Surman founded rabble.ca on April 18, 2 ...
Mel Watkins Author
from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) is an independent think tank in Canada. It has been described as "left leaning".
The CCPA concentrates on economic policy, international trade, environmental justice and social policy. It is ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Mel
1932 births
2020 deaths
20th-century Canadian economists
Canadian nationalists
Canadian political scientists
Canadian socialists
New Democratic Party candidates for the Canadian House of Commons
Political economists
University of Toronto faculty
Writers from Ontario
Members of the Order of Canada
Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni