Western Canada

David E. Smith is a professor of political Studies at the University of
Saskatchewan and the author of Building a Province: A History of
Saskatchewan in Documents and The Invisible Crown.

You cannot tell a book by its title. In this instance, and contrary to
regional perspectives, Western Canada has been reduced to two provinces:
British Columbia and Alberta. Here is an example of central-Canadian
foreshortening, made more mysterious still by the omission of
Saskatchewan and Manitoba from the seven other travel guides to Canadian
cities and regions found in this series.

Published in Montreal, the text shows evidence of having been
translated from French. On occasion, the English is unidiomatic, the
usage incorrect (“Svend Robinson: Canadian Parliament’s First Openly
Gay Deputy”), and the grammar and composition uncertain. None of these
flaws is excusable in a paperback that costs $24.95, but they pale
alongside the historical faults the guide contains.

John Diefenbaker was not “the first Canadian prime minister from the
West”; William Aberhart may have been eccentric, but it is stretching
the truth to say that Ernest Manning “managed to bring some legality
to [Social Credit].” It is more than ungracious to note that Svend
Robinson lost his NDP leadership bid “in favour of a virtual
unknown” and leave it at that. It is untrue to say—not once but
twice—that under Pierre Trudeau, control of Alberta’s natural
resources was transfer[red] ... to the federal government.” There is
no basis for the assertion that Victoria’s “characteristic [sic]
English flavour” is due to “the massive influx of loyalists.” In
fact, present-day ye-olde-crumpet-shoppe Victoria has nothing to do with
its founding as a Hudson’s Bay Company fort and its later service as a
naval base.

Along with maps and some colored plates, the standard visitor
information mentions climate, shopping, business hours, restaurants,
accommodation, and more. No guide can be exhaustive; happily, the
exquisite Emerald Lake Lodge, near Field, B.C., built by the CPR in the
1890s and with one of the best dining rooms in the national parks today,
is omitted. The charms of this Rocky Mountain jewel are thus kept secret
from the purchasers of Western Canada.