About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
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Description
On July 11, 1990, tension between white and Mohawk people at Oka, just west of Montreal, took a violent turn. At issue was the town's plan to turn a piece of disputed land in the community of Kanesatake into a golf course. Media footage of rock-throwing white residents and armed, masked Mohawk Warriors facing police across barricades shocked Canadians and galvanized Aboriginal people from coast to coast. In August, Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa called for the Canadian army to step in.
Harry Swain was deputy minister of Indian Affairs throughout the 78-day standoff, and his recreation of events is dramatic and opinionated. In Oka, Swain writes frankly about his own role and offers fascinating profiles of the high-level players on the government's side -- Quebec Native Affairs Minister John Ciaccia, federal Indian Affairs Minister Tom Siddon, Chief of the Defence Staff General John de Chastelain, Premier Robert Bourassa and Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Swain offers rare insight into the workings of government in a time of crisis, but he also traces what he calls the 200-year tail of history and shows how the Mohawk experience reflects the collision between European and Aboriginal cultures.
Twenty years on, health, social and economic indicators for Aboriginal Canadians are still shameful. The well-funded "Indian industry" is a national disgrace, Swain says, and the Indian Act is in urgent need of replacement. Identifying current flashpoints for Aboriginal land rights across the country, he argues that true reconciliation will not be possible until government commits to meaningful reform.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 15
- Grade:
- 10
Awards
- Runner-up, Donner Prize
Editorial Reviews
"As an outspoken insider without a political reputation to protect, Swain isn't shy to talk about the oversights, mistakes and miscues that triggered the [Oka] crisis...[He] provides useful insights into Ottawa's version of events and thoughtful analysis of what still needs to be done to right the wrongs of 500 years, at Oka and in scores of other aboriginal communities across the country."
— Montreal Gazette
"The book is written in refreshingly lively language, and is peppered with occasionally blunt formulations that make it clear that Swain is anything but a bloodless bureaucrat."
— Literary Review of Canada
"This excellent book should be read by every Canadian."
— The Hill Times
"Swain's account is honest and forthright and well worth the read for insight into a rarely examined aspect of government...The text should form a foundation for the education and training of federal and provincial officials working in aboriginal affairs. In his sojourn into this important domain, Harry Swain has learned some things from which others in similar circumstances ought to benefit."
— Canadian Public Administration
