“Gringo Operations”: Nationalism and Capital in Canadian Educational Publishing, 1970-81

Abstract

In 1970, two prominent publishing firms, Ryerson Press and W.J. Gage, were sold to American interests. Since both firms had significant textbook sales and the educational market was crucial to the success of Canadian publishers, these events sparked a crisis in Canadian publishing. The decline in the economic success of Canadian educational publishing had been on the horizon for several years. The cancellation of Ontario’s Textbook Stimulation Grants and pedagogical changes leading to reduced reliance on textbooks were two key factors. Another was the burgeoning branch plant economy. The newly formed Independent Publishers’ Association persistently lobbied for government financial assistance and for limitations on foreign ownership. The piecemeal, sporadic, and uncertain nature of government response to the crisis was not helpful. By the end of the decade, a lot had happened, but little had changed. This study is situated at the intersection of the economics of educational publishing, the political milieux in which it is located, and nationalistic expectations for Canadian ownership, authorship, and content when it comes to textbooks. Implicit are the tensions between publishing in Canada as a cultural activity versus publishing as an industry.