Clifford Sifton, Volume 1


Book Description

Clifford Sifton was at the centre of political controversies throughout his career. A study of his life and times focuses inevitably on major issues in Canadian history. Clifford Sifton: The Young Napoleon - the first of a two-volume biography - examines Sifton's early career including his years in the Manitoba legislature up to the mid-point of his service in the federal cabinet. After Sifton's first election in the 1880's, his political rise was dramatic. As Manitoba's attorney general from 1891 to 1896, he fought to establish Manitoba's national schools system - one of the major issues of his career. Like many westerners, Sifton believed the social structure of central Canada should not be imposed on the West and recommended rejection of the bilingual "cultural compact" of Confederation. Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier made Sifton Minister of the Interior in 1896, and his voice became one of the strongest in the cabinet. In addition to his aggressive efforts to settle the Prairies, he helped to shape tariff policy, administered the Yukon during the problematic gold rush days, and became involved in policies related to the Indians, the International Joint Commission and Imperial connections. In the late 1890's he secretly purchased the influential Manitoba Free Press and used it to circulate politically biased stories to other western Liberal newspapers. This move damaged his reputation with many of his colleagues and with members of the public. Often under attack, Sifton was a born fighter who both generated and revelled in controversy - a proclivity which earned him the nickname of "the Young Napoleon."




Clifford Sifton, Volume 2


Book Description

A Lonely Eminence is the second of two volumes tracing the public life and times of Clifford Sifton, one of Canada's most controversial politicians. Volume II examines Sifton's life and work in the twentieth century, especially his political activities. Sifton's involvement in the early administration of the Yukon Territory is analyzed, as is his concern for a rational, all-Canadian transportation policy and his role in railway development in the west. Volume II of Clifford Sifton, like Volume I, is rich in historical detail and is the result of extensive research into original historical sources. The vitality and significance of Sifton's public and political career emerge from this political biography, which will be of interest to Canadian historians and political scientists, as well as to anyone interested in the growth and development of Canada.




The Prairie West as Promised Land


Book Description

Millions of immigrants were attracted to the Canadian West by promotional literature from the government in the late 19th century to the First World War bringing with them visions of opportunity to create a Utopian society or a chance to take control of their own destinies.







As Long as the Sun Shines and Water Flows


Book Description

This collection of papers focuses on Canadian Native history since 1763 and presents an overview of official Canadian Indian policy and its effects on the Indian, Inuit, and Metis. Issues and themes covered include colonial Indian policy, constitutional developments, Indian treaties and policy, government decision-making and Native responses reflecting both persistence and change, and the broad issue of aboriginal and treaty rights.




Indian Education in Canada, Volume 1


Book Description

The two volumes comprising Indian Education in Canada present the first full-length discussion of this important subject since the adoption in 1972 of a new federal policy moving toward Indian control of Indian education. Volume 1 analyzes the education of Indian children by whites since the arrival of the first Europeans in Canada. Volume 2 is concerned with the wide-ranging changes that have taken place since 1972.




Alberta Premiers of the Twentieth Century


Book Description

From the optimism associated with provincial status in 1905, through the trials of Depression and war, the boom times of the post-war period, and the economic vagaries of the 1980s and the 1990s, the twentieth century was a time of growth and hardship, development and change, for Alberta and its people. And during the century, twelve men, from a variety of political parties and from very different backgrounds, led the government of this province. The names of some--like William Aberhart, Ernest Manning, and Peter Lougheed--are still household names, while others--like Arthur Sifton, Herbert Greenfield and Richard Reid--have been all but forgotten. Yet each in his unique way, for better or for worse, helped to mould and steer the destiny of the province he governed. These are their stories.




Canadian History: Confederation to the present


Book Description

"In these two volumes, which replace the Reader's Guide to Canadian History, experts provide a select and critical guide to historical writing about pre- and post-Confederation Canada, with an emphasis on the most recent scholarship" -- Cover.




Cheated


Book Description

“Canadians and politicians have a common responsibility: to learn from the mistakes inherited from a colonialist legacy; and to not repeat the wrongs, corruption, and injustices our people suffered in the hands of government officials, politicians, and their oppressive laws. Reading and learning from Cheated would be a good place to start reconciliation and reparation.” — Ovide Mercredi, former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations The story of how Laurier Liberals took hold of the Department of Indian Affairs in 1896 and transformed it into a machine for expropriating Indigenous land. You won’t find the Ocean Man and Pheasant Rump reserves on a map of southeastern Saskatchewan. In 1901, the two Nakoda bands reluctantly surrendered the 70 square miles granted to them under treaty. It’s just one of more than two dozen surrenders aggressively pursued by the Laurier Liberal government over a fifteen-year period. One in five acres was taken from First Nations. This confiscation was justified on the grounds that prairie bands had too much land and that it would be better used by white settlers. In reality, the surrendered land was largely scooped up by Liberal speculators — including three senior civil servants and a Liberal cabinet minister —and flipped for a tidy profit. None were held to account. Cheated is a gripping story of single-minded politicians, uncompromising Indian Affairs officials, grasping government appointees, and well-connected Liberal speculators, set against a backdrop of politics, power, patronage, and profit. The Laurier government’s settlement of western Canada can never be looked at the same way again.




Critical Years in Immigration


Book Description

With the new introduction, Freda Hawkins brings Critical Years in Immigration up to date by discussing the directions taken by the Canadian and Australian governments since 1984. She also clarifies the implications of the recently announced Canadian immigration levels for 1991-95, discussing the government's reasoning and future plans.