Clifford Sifton
Encyclopedia
Sir Clifford Sifton, PC
, KCMG
(March 10, 1861 – April 17, 1929) was a Canadian
politician best known for being Minister of the Interior
under Sir Wilfrid Laurier. He was responsible for encouraging the massive amount of immigration in Canada which occurred in the first decade of the 20th century.
Born in Middlesex County
, Canada West (now Ontario
), Sifton's father, John Wright Sifton
, was a contractor and businessman who moved with his family to Manitoba
when Clifford was a boy. He trained as a lawyer
, and graduated from Victoria University in the University of Toronto
in 1875. He worked on his father's political campaigns before being elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, himself, in 1888. Sifton served in the cabinet of Thomas Greenway
from 1891 to 1896 as Attorney General and Provincial Lands Commissioner. He played a role in negotiating the Laurier-Greenway Compromise, which temporarily resolved the Manitoba Schools Question
.
In 1896, Sifton was elected a Member of Parliament and served as Minister of the Interior under Laurier. As Minister of the Interior he started a vigorous immigration policy to get people to settle and populate the West
. Sifton established colonial offices in Europe
and the United States
. He enticed people to come to western Canada. While many of the immigrants came from Britain
and the United States
, Canada also had a large influx of Ukrainians
, Doukhobors, and other groups from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Between 1891 and 1914, more than three million people came to Canada, largely from continental Europe, following the path of the newly constructed continental railway. In the same period, mining operations were begun in the Klondike
and the Canadian Shield
.
In the federal election of 1900, Sifton retained his seat against a strong challenge from former Manitoba Premier
Hugh John Macdonald
. After presiding over the creation of Alberta
and Saskatchewan
in 1905, Sifton resigned from cabinet following a dispute with Laurier over religious education.
Especially later in his life, Sifton battled increasing deafness, which precluded any further potential political advances.
Sifton retired from politics in 1911, but crusaded against the government policy of reciprocity, because he believed that increased economic integration between Canada and the US would result in Canada being taken over by the Americans.
Sifton died in 1929 in New York City
, where he had been visiting a heart specialist. He left a fortune estimated at $3.2 million, equivalent to about $ in present-day terminology.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, KCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(March 10, 1861 – April 17, 1929) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician best known for being Minister of the Interior
Minister of the Interior (Canada)
The Minister of the Interior was a cabinet post responsible for federal land management, Indian affairs and natural resources extraction...
under Sir Wilfrid Laurier. He was responsible for encouraging the massive amount of immigration in Canada which occurred in the first decade of the 20th century.
Born in Middlesex County
Middlesex County, Ontario
Middlesex County is a primarily rural county in Southwestern Ontario. Landlocked, the county is bordered by Huron and Perth counties on the north, Oxford County on the east, Elgin County on the south, and Chatham-Kent and Lambton County on the west.The seat is the city of London, although the city...
, Canada West (now Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
), Sifton's father, John Wright Sifton
John Wright Sifton
John Wright Sifton was a 19th century Manitoba politician and the founder of an important political family in Western Canada....
, was a contractor and businessman who moved with his family to Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
when Clifford was a boy. He trained as a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, and graduated from Victoria University in the University of Toronto
Victoria University in the University of Toronto
Victoria University is a constituent college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1836 and named for Queen Victoria. It is commonly called Victoria College, informally Vic, after the original academic component that now forms its undergraduate division...
in 1875. He worked on his father's political campaigns before being elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, himself, in 1888. Sifton served in the cabinet of Thomas Greenway
Thomas Greenway
For the American character actor , see Tom Greenway.Thomas Greenway was a politician, merchant and farmer. He served as the seventh Premier of Manitoba, Canada, from 1888 to 1900...
from 1891 to 1896 as Attorney General and Provincial Lands Commissioner. He played a role in negotiating the Laurier-Greenway Compromise, which temporarily resolved the Manitoba Schools Question
Manitoba Schools Question
The Manitoba Schools Question was a political crisis in the Canadian Province of Manitoba that occurred late in the 19th century, involving publicly funded separate schools for Roman Catholics and Protestants...
.
In 1896, Sifton was elected a Member of Parliament and served as Minister of the Interior under Laurier. As Minister of the Interior he started a vigorous immigration policy to get people to settle and populate the West
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
. Sifton established colonial offices in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He enticed people to come to western Canada. While many of the immigrants came from Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada also had a large influx of Ukrainians
Ukrainian Canadian
A Ukrainian Canadian is a person of Ukrainian descent or origin who was born in or immigrated to Canada. In 2006, there were an estimated 1,209,085 persons residing in Canada of Ukrainian origin, making them Canada's ninth largest ethnic group; and giving Canada the world's third-largest...
, Doukhobors, and other groups from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Between 1891 and 1914, more than three million people came to Canada, largely from continental Europe, following the path of the newly constructed continental railway. In the same period, mining operations were begun in the Klondike
Klondike, Yukon
The Klondike is a region of the Yukon in northwest Canada, east of the Alaska border. It lies around the Klondike River, a small river that enters the Yukon from the east at Dawson....
and the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
.
In the federal election of 1900, Sifton retained his seat against a strong challenge from former Manitoba Premier
Premier of Manitoba
The Premier of Manitoba is the first minister for the Canadian province of Manitoba. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. Until the early 1970s, the title "Prime Minister of Manitoba" was used frequently. Afterwards, the word Premier, derived from the French...
Hugh John Macdonald
Hugh John Macdonald
Sir Hugh John Macdonald, PC was the only surviving son of the first Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald, and was a politician in his own right, serving as a member of the Canadian House of Commons and a federal cabinet minister, and briefly as the eighth Premier of Manitoba.-Early...
. After presiding over the creation of Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
in 1905, Sifton resigned from cabinet following a dispute with Laurier over religious education.
Especially later in his life, Sifton battled increasing deafness, which precluded any further potential political advances.
Sifton retired from politics in 1911, but crusaded against the government policy of reciprocity, because he believed that increased economic integration between Canada and the US would result in Canada being taken over by the Americans.
Sifton died in 1929 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he had been visiting a heart specialist. He left a fortune estimated at $3.2 million, equivalent to about $ in present-day terminology.
Family
Clifford Sifton, then a young lawyer married at Winnipeg, Manitoba on August 18th, 1884 Elizabeth Armanella Burrows, daughter of Henry James Burrows and his wife, Sarah Sparks. Elizabeth was born in Ottawa, Ontario and educated at the Ladies' College, in Ottawa. The couple had five sons. She founded and presided over the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.) at Brandon, Monitoba. She served as President of the Women's Hospital Aid Society, and of the Women's Society formed in connection with the Methodist Church. She presided over similar bodies in Ottawa and volunteered with the National Council of Women. The couple lived in 215 Metcalfe Street, Ottawa.Further reading
- Dafoe, John W. Clifford Sifton in Relation to His Times (1931)
- Hall, D.J. "Clifford Sifton: Immigration and Settlement Policy, 1896-1905," in Howard Palmer, ed. The Settlement of the West (1977) pp 60 -85
- Hall, D.J. Clifford Sifton (1976), short biography ISBN: 9780889022232
- Hall, D.J. Clifford Sifton. Vol. 1: The Young Napoleon, 1861-1900 (1981); Clifford Sifton. Vol. 2: The Lonely Eminence, 1901-1929 (1986) the standard scholarly biography
- Timlin, Mabel F. "Canada's Immigration Policy, 1896-1910," Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science Vol. 26, No. 4 (Nov., 1960), pp. 517-532 in JSTOR