Clifford Sifton Volume 2

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.

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."

After the pioneers described in The National Dream, The Last Spike and Klondike came the settlers — a million people who filled a thousand miles of prairie in a single generation.

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.

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.

The image of the scrum – a beleaguered politican surrounded by jockeying reporters – is central to our perception of Ottawa. The modern scrum began with the arrival of television, but even in Sir John A. Macdonald’s day, a century earlier, reporters in the parliamentary press gallery had waited outside the prime minister’s office, pen in hand, hoping for a quote for the next edition. The scrum represents the test of wills, the contest of wits, and the battle for control that have characterized the relationship between Canadian prime ministers and journalists for more than 125 years. Scrum Wars chronicles this relationship. It is an anecdotal as well as analytical account, showing how earlier prime ministers like Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir Wilfrid Laurier were able to exercise control over what was written about their administrators, while more recent leaders like John Diefenbaker, Joe Clark, John Turner, and Brian Mulroney often found themselves at the mercy of intense media scrutiny and comment.