The Prosperous Years: The Economic History of Ontario, 1939-1975

T.D. Regehr is a history professor at the University of Saskatchewan and
author of The Beauharnois Scandal: A Story of Entrepreneurship and
Politics.

This is one of the proposed 32 volumes in the Ontario Historical Studies Series to be published by the University of Toronto Press for the Government of Ontario. The series, best known at this point for the biographies of various Ontario premiers, will focus on various themes. The economic history and development of the province will be the subject of three volumes, of which The Prosperous Years is the first to be published although it deals with the most recent period.

The entire series is designed for both the general reader and the scholar, and it seeks to foster a better understanding of the distinctive features of Ontario as a Canadian province and region. The intention is laudable, but this volume is so preoccupied with Ontario themes that Ontario’s relationships with other regions of Canada are not adequately analyzed. National — that is, federal — and international factors are dealt with, but inter-regional themes need more attention.

One of the main themes of the book is the increased role of government in the economy. The harsh experiences of the Depression had undermined confidence in the operations of the free market, making government intervention acceptable to Ontario people afraid that depressed times would follow World War II. The unexpectedly rapid and sustained growth of the post-war economy provided the necessary resources for increased government intervention, particularly in the service sector.

The author makes relatively few direct references to economic theory. The work is more descriptive than theoretical. What the author does make very clear is that the developments after 1939 were not what most Ontario leaders had expected, and their policies were generally reactive, though interventionist, rather than pro-active. Government publications and the records of successive premiers are the main sources consulted.