- Definition
The Corn Laws were old British rules that put taxes on grain brought in from other countries. This helped Canadian farmers sell their grain to Britain more easily until the rules were removed in the 1840s.
A British baker would pay a high tax to import wheat from France, but a much lower tax to import wheat from a farm in colonial Canada.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: The Corn Laws were British trade laws that restricted imports of grain in order to protect British landowners and farmers.
Ask your child: How can a tax or restriction on imported food affect shoppers, farmers, and businesses?
Common mix-up: Here, ‘corn’ was a British word for grain such as wheat and barley, not only the vegetable called corn. The laws influenced grain prices and trade across the British Empire.
Examples
- Because of the laws, a Canadian farmer could sell their wheat in Britain more easily than a French farmer could.
- In Britain, the laws made bread more expensive, which was hard on poor families and factory workers.
Corn Laws is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
