The Heavy Hand of History: Interpreting Saskatchewan's Past

Michael Payne is the City of Edmonton archivist and the co-author of A
Narrative History of Fort Dunvegan.

In this book, four leading scholars—Gregory Marchildon, Bill Waiser,
David Smith, and Dale Eisler—analyse the most significant historical
factors that have shaped society in Saskatchewan. While by no means
agreeing on every detail, all four authors generally accept the idea of
Saskatchewan’s distinct provincial character.

Waiser suggests that one “big idea” really created Saskatchewan. He
summarizes this idea as “one dominant culture (Anglo-Canadian) engaged
in one dominant economic activity (the production of wheat for the
export market) in one dominant zone of activity (the southern half of
the province).” Most of Saskatchewan’s subsequent social, political,
and economic history follows from this vision of Saskatchewan’s
destiny. Unfortunately, this idea, while “big” in some respects, is
quite narrow in others. It excludes or marginalizes large numbers of
people, including Saskatchewan’s growing Aboriginal population and its
diverse ethnocultural communities. Waiser argues for a more inclusive
and less economically and geographically circumscribed vision, while
suggesting that the “heavy hand” of Saskatchewan’s founding
mythology can still be felt.

Smith, Marchildon, and Eisler also discuss how historical legacies
weigh heavily on contemporary Saskatchewan society. Smith examines the
political legacy of the CCF and its successor, the NDP. This legacy
makes Saskatchewan distinctive politically, but Smith also suggests that
the persistence of the CCF/NDP’s policy ideals and program innovations
may now act as a brake on societal change.

Marchildon explores the legacy of the Depression and drought. Before
the 1930s, Saskatchewan was a society of “boundless optimism” marked
by extraordinary population and economic growth. Since the 1930s,
Saskatchewan has changed into a more cautious and perhaps pessimistic
society.

Eisler looks explicitly at “the Saskatchewan myth,” or perhaps more
accurately at the multiple, often interconnected, myths that have shaped
the province. Saskatchewan began in the rosy haze of a myth of unlimited
potential. The 1930s shattered that myth, but the rise of the CCF
substituted new myths of political and economic transformation. These
include the enduring myth of medicare, which Eisler shows was neither
the exclusive idea of the CCF/NDP nor so innovative as some would claim.

This engaging and thought-provoking book is an excellent way to
celebrate a centennial.