Daniel Francis

Reading the National Narrative

Conspiracy Theories

Oct 27, 2013

The newest issue (#90) of Geist magazine is out and includes my column about a pair of books that bring into question Prime Minister Harper's infamous comment that Canada "has no history of colonialism."

Let the Eastern Bastards Freeze in the Dark, by Toronto journalist Mary Janigan, revisits the history of resource ownership in the western provinces, while Greg Malone's Don't Tell the Newfoundlanders argues that the Rock's entry into Confederation in 1949 was a conspiracy orchestrated by Canada and Great Britain.

From my column: "Instead of the gradual extension of equal rights and status to the provinces, Janigan and Malone present a narrative of seizure and expropriation."