From the Grassroots: The Company of Young Canadians, Local Activism, and Sustainable Development in Canada, 1965-1975

Originally conceived as the shock troops of Lester Pearson’s “War on Poverty,” the Company of Young Canadians focused on mobilizing communities to fight poverty and disenfranchisement. However, as the booming 60s turned to the stagnant 70s, issues of sustainable development came to the forefront of the CYC’s projects. This paper examines how the CYC became the midwife to projects geared broadly to concepts of sustainable development (industrial pollution, recycling programs, and agricultural and food cooperatives) that attempted to mesh both economic as well as environmental perspectives.