Archbishop A-A Taché of St Boniface: The "Good Fight" and the Illusive Vision

Ashley Thomson is a full librarian at Laurentian University and co-editor or co-author of nine books, most recently Margaret Atwood: A Reference Guide, 1988-2005.

Alexandre-Antoine Taché (1823–1894) was a Quebec-born Roman Catholic
Oblate who in 1845 moved to Western Canada to serve as a missionary to
the Indians. By 1851, he had become superior of the Oblates in the
Northwest, and by 1853, bishop of St. Boniface. For the remainder of his
life, he was at the centre of many of the historical events that shaped
early modern Manitoba, including the two Riel rebellions, the formation
of the province in 1870, and the hopeless fight to preserve separate
schools in the face of an onslaught of unsympathetic settlers and the
politicians who represented them.

It was Taché’s vision to create a sister province to Quebec, and he
spent much of his life promoting emigration by French Catholics to the
West. How and why he failed makes up much of the story in this book.
Rather than sugar-coat Taché’s authoritarian style, Huel’s analysis
convincingly demonstrates how he was the author of some of his own
misfortunes. While this readable and meticulously researched biography
does not portray Taché as very likable, it does acknowledge his skills
as a real-estate investor and money manager.

Two quibbles. First, it would have been useful if Huel had placed some
maps strategically throughout the text; as it is, the reader is forced
to consult various historical atlases in order to keep track of the
peripatetic Taché. Second, while Huel discusses the sad fate of
separate schools in Manitoba, he fails to note that the 1890 legislation
that made English the only official language in Manitoba (much to the
consternation of a dying Taché) was ruled ultra vires in 1979. Since
1984, although it is not officially bilingual, the province has abided
by the provisions of the Manitoba Act, as well as the Charter of Rights
and Freedoms, and is obligated to provide French and English services in
the legislature, in the courts, and in the area of education. In the
end, perhaps Taché’s vision was not as illusive as Huel’s title
implies.