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The settler colonial paradox of T.C. Douglas and the CCF in Saskatchewan, 1945 - 1962. Boxall, Rosalynd Anna
Abstract
This paper uses the life and politics of one man to analyse the dynamics of settler colonialism in Saskatchewan over the years directly following the Second World War. It tracks the history of Thomas Clement Douglas (1904 - 1986) and his peers in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It examines his career and colleagues in the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) party, where Douglas served as Premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 - 1962 before moving to the federal government as leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP). This paper demonstrates how settler colonialism circumscribed what was ‘thinkable’ for Douglas and his peers, with the resulting effect that well-intended policies intended to help Saskatchewan’s Indigenous population had negative outcomes. Douglas’ policy goals towards Indigenous peoples in Saskatchewan differed little from the ways he approached the empowerment of all minority groups, and focused on political representation, citizenship rights (notably, for Indigenous groups, liquor licensing and the provincial franchise), and the extension and improvement of provincial welfare services. This paper focuses in particular on the extension of the provincial franchise and liquor licensing policies. Although Douglas planned wide-reaching reform for almost all parts of Saskatchewan society, he never imagined that Saskatchewan society would be fundamentally altered in order to accommodate Indigenous peoples. On the contrary, he always assumed that Indigenous people would have to be shaped to fit into the existing social and political framework. Douglas’ Indian Policy was not a paradox or an anomaly within an otherwise radical, progressive agenda. Rather, his progressivism itself was situated within the tenets of settler colonialism.
Item Metadata
Title |
The settler colonial paradox of T.C. Douglas and the CCF in Saskatchewan, 1945 - 1962.
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
2019
|
Description |
This paper uses the life and politics of one man to analyse the dynamics of settler
colonialism in Saskatchewan over the years directly following the Second World War. It tracks the
history of Thomas Clement Douglas (1904 - 1986) and his peers in the Canadian province of
Saskatchewan. It examines his career and colleagues in the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation
(CCF) party, where Douglas served as Premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 - 1962 before moving to
the federal government as leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP).
This paper demonstrates how settler colonialism circumscribed what was ‘thinkable’ for
Douglas and his peers, with the resulting effect that well-intended policies intended to help
Saskatchewan’s Indigenous population had negative outcomes. Douglas’ policy goals towards
Indigenous peoples in Saskatchewan differed little from the ways he approached the empowerment
of all minority groups, and focused on political representation, citizenship rights (notably, for
Indigenous groups, liquor licensing and the provincial franchise), and the extension and
improvement of provincial welfare services. This paper focuses in particular on the extension of the
provincial franchise and liquor licensing policies. Although Douglas planned wide-reaching reform
for almost all parts of Saskatchewan society, he never imagined that Saskatchewan society would be fundamentally altered in order to accommodate Indigenous peoples. On the contrary, he always
assumed that Indigenous people would have to be shaped to fit into the existing social and political
framework. Douglas’ Indian Policy was not a paradox or an anomaly within an otherwise radical,
progressive agenda. Rather, his progressivism itself was situated within the tenets of settler
colonialism.
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Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2019-08-22
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0380552
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
2019-09
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Rights URI | |
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International