Telling the Story of Globalization, Neoliberalism and the Call Centre Industry in New Brunswick

In New Brunswick, in the early nineties, the Liberal government of Frank McKenna embraced both globalization and neoliberalism in the creation of a call centre industry. It seems a classic case of the adoption of a globalization and neoliberal strategy. However, further examination of the discourse of the period shows a very particular positioning vis-à-vis globalization and neoliberalism. It is one adopted by a ‘have-not’ province as a kind of desperate economic development strategy. Given recent attention in the literature to the various meanings and implications of globalization and neoliberalism, the New Brunswick case gives a particular vantage point from which to reflect on these debates