Trade has been a vital aspect of Canada's economic development. Staples fish, timber, minerals and grains have played a crucial role in the settlement and development of Canada. Grains have been a particularly important component of Canada's international trade since the late nineteenth century. Initially, Canada's grains were sold overseas by individuals and firms with relatively little government regulation. During World War I grains became strategically important commodities and the government, through the Board of Grain Commissioners, sold all Canadian grain overseas. The Board ceased operations after the war, arousing considerable opposition by grain growers who believed that centralized marketing had brought higher prices and more efficient operation. Between 1922 and 1925 many grain growers agitated for a resumption of government marketing. In 1935 a voluntary Canadian Wheat Board was organized. Eight years later, amid the crises of the war years, a compulsory wheat board was organized. Government control continues to this day and facilitates the large sales of grains to the U.S.S.R., China and other countries. These sales profoundly affect the economy of the prairies, the West Coast and, indeed, all of Canada. The graph shows the importance of grain exports compared to other agricultural products. While grain sales continue to be important, agricultural products as a whole have been playing a declining role in Canadian export trade. In 1928, for example, agricultural products accounted for forty-five percent of all exports. In 1975 that figure was only twelve percent.
