The Peopling of Saskatchewan.
Immigration.
Ever since Canada was a country efforts have been made to induce im-
migration. As far as the West is concerned the first movement was to
obtain immigrants to re-inforce the Selkirk settlement. When the two
first Catholic Missionaries, Provencher and Desmoulin were sent to the
Red River they spent some of their time in beating up recruits for the
colony, and they were accompanied or almost immediately followed by a
band of immigrants under one John McLeod. The European immigration
came through Hudson Bay; the Canadian immigrants either went through
the States or followed what was subsequently to be known as the Dawson
route. Wben the Manitoba "boom" of 1881-2 was on the Manitoba Gov-
ernment sent a lot of literature to Great Britain and the efforts of Mani-
toba to get population and capital reacted on the Northwest Territories.
The Territorial politicians, or statesmen, did not at first realise that as
the Dominion held the public lands, the onus of peopling those lands rested
entirely with the Federal authorities; and efforts were made to get the
Ottawa Government to grant money to the Territorial Executive to be
expended for immigration purposes. And so we find in the time of Mr.
Cayley's "premiership" a sum of ten thousand dollars set aside for the
purpose. With this sum he appointed a representative,in Ontario and
another in the States, both Alberta men, much to the indignation of a
section of the Assiniboia press. After 1882 the Dominion Government
had European and American agents, but their efforts, considering the im-
mensity of the land to be settled did not meet with much success, that is
speaking relatively. At this time there was unlimited free land in the
United States. Complaints were made of the character of some of the im-
migration both European and British, and it seems to be the case that
there was considerable pauper immigration from the British Isles. There
was a time in the west when probably as many people went out as came
in. One form of activity was to send successful farmers to the east to
visit their old localities, and spread information. When Sir Wilfrid Laurier
came into power in 1896, Sir Clifford Sifton set himself to the task of
peopling the western lands, and a vigorous immigration policy was in-
augurated, Mr. W. T. R. Preston being the executive head in Great Britain
and Europe. At the same time numerous agents were scattered through
the United States. Qne plan which met with much success was to send
practical western men to Great Britain and Europe. For these an itiner-
Bibliography follows:
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