Field Notes 2023
5
The Pulp and Paper Industry Cluster of the St-Maurice Valley Zacharie Magnan
Abstract This article examines the history and evolution of the pulp and paper industry in the St-Maurice region of Quebec, from the beginning of the 20th century to the 1990s. Using historical archives, government data, and company reports, the article explores the organization of the industry, labor relations, and the impact of the industry on the region. The piece shows that the industry was an important driver of development for the province of Quebec, with the St-Maurice Valley being an excellent location to develop a pulp mill due to the abundance of a low grade essence used in the production of newspapers. The industry was organized around the subcontractor system, with big entrepreneurs buying logs from small units
of peasant-lumberjack groups dispersed over a large territory. The article highlights the importance of the St-Maurice River as the main method of transportation of the wood that was destined to become paper, and the location of the paper and pulp factories downstream of the river. The article also explores the impact of the industry on labor relations and the difficulty of creating workers’ unions in a highly fragmented labor market. The article concludes by examining the collapse of the industry in the 1990s and its impact on the region.
Keywords: Pulp and paper industry, St-Maurice region, labor relations, subcontractor system, Quebec.