ABSTRACT

World product mandates have been in use for several decades. The Science Council of Canada was the first to publish a report on this subject in this country. During the same year, Ontario’s Ministry of Industry and Tourism also put out a report on the subject. Governments may set up a framework for, and even stimulate, the product rationalisation effort. These governmental actions are materialised by the formulation of an industrial policy intended for all production units regardless of their mode of ownership. The ‘nationality’ of parent companies was checked against a Statistics Canada document based on data drawn from the Corporations and Labour Unions Returns Act report. Most mandated firms replying to the relevant question noted no change in their relations with the federal or provincial governments after the acquisition of a mandate. The universe of product mandates is not yet very well developed in Quebec.