"Weinstein has given us a beautiful history of the Métis nation…. is a vivid tale of constant struggle and sacrifice. It is a gripping account of political intrigue and brinksmanship that will raise e
"Weinstein has given us a beautiful history of the Métis nation….Quiet Revolution West
is a vivid tale of constant struggle and sacrifice. It is a gripping account of political intrigue and brinksmanship that will raise eyebrows in many quarters."
-- From the Foreword by the Right Honourable Paul MartinWhen the Manitoba Act of 1870 created the new Province of Manitoba within the Dominion of Canada, it was predominantly a Métis province, yet within a matter of years, the Métis were a dispossessed, displaced, and dispersed people. Weinstein traces Métis aspirations for political autonomy as a unique nation with its own land base in the Canadian federation from the time of Louis Riel until the Kelowna Accord of 2005. He concentrates - in great detail and with deft accounts - on the political maneuvering and constitutional wrangling of the last three decades, cataloguing the contributions and disappointments of colourful Métis leaders. And he provides detailed reviews of legal cases relevant to long-standing Métis claims to land and other rights.
Such rights he places within the context of the world-wide movement among indigenous peoples for greater political autonomy, such as in Central America, and he ends his account with the prospects for self government among the Métis and the forms that such a government might take, given the dispersal of the Métis across Canada. Although the Métis have been recognized in the Constitution as one of the three groups of Aboriginal peoples in Canada, they remain the landless subjects of the Canadian government, and for this reason Quiet Revolution West is a timely account of resistance.
"Weinstein offers readers an insightful firsthand look at a significant cultural and political movement that undoubtedly has shaped modern Canada, and will continue to do so in the 21st century. Recommended"
-- Choice Magazine
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CONTENTS
Foreword by The Right Honourable Paul Martin
Preface
Abbreviations Chapter 1 The Rise and Fall of the New Nation
Chapter 2 In Search of Representation
Chapter 3 Harry Daniels and the Quest for the Constitution
Chapter 4 The Pitfalls of Patriation
Chapter 5 Elmer Ghostkeeper and "Métisism"
Chapter 6 In the Bear Pit with Jim Sinclair
Chapter 7 Métis Political Realignment
Chapter 8 The Métis Nation versus Pierre Elliott Trudeau
Chapter 9 Impasse
Chapter 10 The Fiery Front
Chapter 11 Transitions
Chapter 12 Yvon Dumont and the Road to Charlottetown
Chapter 13 The Fallback Position
Chapter 14 The Powley Decision
Chapter 15 Defining the Métis Homeland
Chapter 16 Clément Chartier and Kelowna: The Almost Accord
Chapter 17 The Global Movement
Chapter 18 Prospects for Métis Self-Government Appendices
Notes
References
Acknowledgements
Index
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JOHN WEINSTEIN has worked with the MÚtis since the 1970s. He has been an advisor to successive MÚtis leaders enabling him to participate in and document many of the events depicted in Quiet Revolution West. He accompanied the mercurial Harry Daniels to Parliament Hill on the day MÚtis were recognized in the constitution and appeared as a witness for the fledgling MÚtis National Council in its lawsuit against Prime Minister Trudeau over the issue of representation in constitutional negotiations.
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