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Frederick Haultain: FrontierStatesman of the Canadian
Northwest
by Grant MacEwan
Frederick
Haultain, initially a reluctant participant in politics, became
the leading statesman of his day. He spent twenty-five years in
the government of the North-West Territory and is reputed to have
been the best Parliamentary debater of his time.
His determined negotiations with Ottawa brought
his vision of greater autonomy for the West to fruition; he was
instrumental in achieving self-determination for the Northwest and,
in 1905, the creation of the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Haultain's brash condemnation of years of federal
neglect and his disagreements with Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier
caused him to be brushed aside when political appointments for the
new provinces were being made — by any measure, he should have
been either Alberta's or Saskatchewan's first premier. Instead,
his invaluable service to the West has been all but forgotten by
succeeding generations.
Grant MacEwan is at his best when rescuing frontier
personalities from obscurity. In this engaging political biography,
MacEwan has once again unearthed an exciting eposode in our history
which never should have been lost.
Listen here to an interview
Tommy Banks did with MacEwan about the book, from CKUA's sound
archives. (If the audio clip doesn't start automatically you should
be able to download it and listen in QuickTime)
