The Government of Natural Resources: Science, Territory, and State Power in Quebec, 1867-1939

As conservation and extractive agencies both expanded over in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, scientific personnel played an increasingly significant role in Canadian governance. Beginning with the Confederation, the state created geology, forestry, fishery, and agronomy departments with one goal: exploit resources and occupy territory. In The Government of Natural Resources, Stéphane Castonguay traces the history of mining, logging, hunting, fishing, and agriculture activities in Quebec, revealing how environmental transformation became a tool of government. Far from being neutral observers, scientists, he argues, must acknowledge their role as pivotal actors in the expansion of state power.