Historical Background Hello!   Below are some brief historical notes I've made for songs 2-through-11 on my CANADA NEEDS YOU volume one CD, as well as some reference suggestions.   I welcome any comments, questions, suggestions or complaints about what's written here - or about the songs themselves (just click on Mike Ford ).   Also, I'll have a comprehensive Teacher's Resource Guide available in '06. Thanks, Mike ********************************* Thanadelthur Thanadelthur was a young Dene woman who lived 300 years ago in what we now call The Northwest Territories, Nunavut and northern Manitoba.   What little I've learned about her comes through journal entries of 18th Century Hudson's Bay employees William Stewart and James Knight.   Hudson's Bay Archives are one place to research this further.   I also recommend two excellent works of fiction that imaginatively explore Thanadelthur's life: " Blackships & Thanadelthur - Young Heroes of North America, vol 1 " by Rick Book (Heartland Publications, Winnipeg 2001) and the superb " Running West " by James Houston (McClelland and Stewart, Toronto, 1990).   I was compelled to write a song about this incredible woman...I can scarcely imagine a more fascinating story than the exhilarating, noble and ultimately tragic adventure of her late teens.   As a young woman she and her sister were held captive by an apparently heartless Northern Cree man.   Their escape, which possibly led to the drowning of her sister, brought Thanadelthur to the Hudson's Bay Company York Fort.   The Governor of York Fort, James Knight, and his assistant William Stewart, were taken with Thanadelthur's incredible spirit, and also saw in her a much needed interpreter and emissary to the Dene world, with which they had yet to make contact.   The ensuing events of her leading an expedition all the way from Hudson's Bay to Great Slave Lake and back, during which she fought harsh weather, mutiny and near starvation and apparently single-handedly negotiated a peace between hostiles (Northern Cree and her Dene), is a tale deserving a full opera to be told. Of course, like the authors Houston and Book, I'm engaging in historical fiction in my song-writing.   I understand that Thanadelthur's story is still a part of Dene lore to this day.   It would be an incredible experience to be present at a contemporary telling of her tale. Les Voyageurs Like many padding enthusiasts, I can't help imagining the lives of Les Voyageurs while   on a canoe trip myself.   Although the waterways may look similar, the means of transport roughly the same, and the mosquitoes sometimes equally unbearable, the circumstances could not be more different.   For me, it's a long weekend of paddles and portages for the sake of fun and exercise.   For them, it was over 5 months of back-breaking and largely monotonous labour.   But they were, in a way, kings, free from the city and the farm.   They must have felt great pride in their Herculean prowess and specialized talents.   I'm most fascinated at how integral music was to their trade.   It kept spirits up but also was the defacto accelerator and speedometer - songs were used to measure distance, and gave the Voyageurs a rolling score for tales of love and adventure. Peter C Newman's Hudson's Bay Trilogy, the 2nd book of which, Caesars of the Wilderness (Penguin) provides excellent historical scope and research relating to the lives of the Voyageurs.   A condensed and thrilling version of this is found in Pierre Berton's The Great Lakes (McClelland & Stewart).   For specific information regarding the building of the Fur Trade Canoes, and their cargo, I recommend Jim Polling, Sr.'s The Canoe; an Illustrated History (Prospero) and for a brilliant and epic lyrical take on this theme, I highly recommend Superior Illusions (Natural Heritage) by Richard Pope. Musicians and groups such as Tanglefoot, Gilles Vigneault have created wonderful modern versions of Voyageur songs, and my personal favourite is La Bottine Souriante and Michel Rivard's "Martin de la Chasse-Galarie" - their take on the famous French Canadian Faustian Voyageur tale. (Found on La Bottine Souriante's La Mistrine CD) The Oak Island Mystery A most fascinating and elusive mystery.   The song lyrics pretty much cover the basic outlines of the story for the uninitiated.   Not only have scores of books been written on this subject, it's also been featured on T.V's "Unsolved Mysteries" and was used as part of the inspiration for the movie "National Treasure".   There are many theories, tame and wild, as to who dug the pit and what lies at its bottom.   We do know that a very elaborate shaft, complete with false bottoms, water tunnels and runic markings was created well before 1795, on Oak Island in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia.   Countless attempts have been made to get at whatever the pit was apparently dug for.   Numerous theories have been hatched as possible explanations, from Knights Templar and The Holy Grail to the Booty of Captain Kidd, to hidden works of Sir Francis Bacon.   It remains unsolved to this day.   Some are presently trying to raise funds for a high-tech and careful exploration.   Yes, it will take substantial monetary backing to undertake a successful probing of the pit - but more importantly, knowledge and information from a wide array of disciplines will be needed to fully explain the enigma.   The finest book written on this topic, for my money, is Mark Finnan's Oak Island Secrets (Formac Publishing). Turn Them Ooot I first heard about Mackenzie and the Rebels of 1837 on Grade School field trips, and from my father's own historical film-strips (Film-strips were an Audio-Visual medium from my Grade School days - Dad made a a whole series of wonderful Canadian History resources!).   I didn't understand the 'levels of colonial government' charts they   showed us, but I did marvel at the C.W. Jeffreys drawings of the events (I was even more thrilled when one of these drawings turned up on a beer-bottle label years later!).   I enjoyed William Kilbourne's The Firebrand (publisher) and wrote Turn Them Ooot shortly after.   It wasn't until I read John Sewell's Mackenzie: A political biography (Lorimer), however, that I got an idea of how substantial Mackenzie's continuous efforts were to fight, petition and legislate for government openness, accountability and fairness.   When I took the time to study more about Mackenzie's (and the Rebels) demands, it astonished me to realize that what they were asking for is something that so many of us have long since taken for granted , to the detriment of our modern democracy.   It also bears remembering that many of the Rebels were put in jail, packed off to penal colonies like Van Deiman's Land, and were in some cases hung by the neck at public hangings. Walk through downtown Toronto and you will come across dozens of street names commemorating the Family Compact of the 1830's, as well as some of the tireless agitators that tried to reign them in.   A great dramatic exploration of all this can be found in Rick Salutin's play The Farmer's Revolt .   In its original production at Toronto's Theatre Passe Murraile in 1979, the role of Mackenzie was played by the brilliant Eric Peterson.   In 1997, as thousands of Torontonians (under the banner of Citizens For Local Democracy) fought against the weakening of the peoples' voice represented by 'Mega-City' Amalgamation, Peterson reprised his "Mackenzie" role at numerous roof-raising rallies.   To the immediate west of The Ontario Legislature, on the grounds of Queen's Park in Toronto, you can see a breathtaking monument in memory of The Mackenzie-Papineau Brigade, volunteers from Canada who joined the fight for freedom in 1930's Spain.   Next to that, atop a pedestal, is an impressive bust of Willaim Lyon Mackenzie ( pictured as well on the photos page of this website ).   In this era of endless media spin, high-priced lobbying and disenchanted, distracted electorate, we could use a healthy dose of the spirit of 1837.   La Patriote This song was my attempt to create a little film in song.   In Lower Canada (Bas Canada - Quebec of today) 'Rebels'   (Patriots) had some similar complaints against the colonial authority (Le Chateau Clique) as those of Mackenzie and the Upper Canadians of the day - namely, a slumbering, uncaring,   capricious and financially cruel Government answering only to their masters in England.   This anger and despair was amplified by the fact that the general population were by and large a conquered people, and yet a people truly rooted to that place - New France had fallen to the British 7 decades earlier, and any connection to their ancestral home of France was completely severed    After reading various accounts of citizens' experience during the Rebellion of 1837 in Lower Canada   as well as the speeches and writings of the leaders of Les Patriots I decided to compose this song.   I imagined a camera following one young woman as she made her way through civic gatherings, battle sites, hiding places and broken town squares before, during and after the Rebellion.   The sides in these battles were less French vs English than they were Elites vs Peasants and Craftsmen, although a large majority of Elites were Anglophone. I find it interesting to contrast the words of Papineau with those of Dr. Wolfred Nelson - both esteemed leaders of the Patriote cause.   I included this contrast in the song's narration. Papineau:   "Il n'y a jamais eu d'administration plus ignorante et plus méprisée que celle d'aujourd'hui.   Des chansons peuvent autant contre lui que des boulets at des epées" (There has never been a more ignorant and hated than this one today.   Songs could do as much against them as bullets and swords) Nelson: "The time has come to melt our plates and our tin spoons to make bullets" Another fascinating reference I've come across in the letters and speeches of some of the Patriots is the dream of   "les deux etoiles du Canada".   This image seems to underscore a hope, in the late 1830s, for two free and equal Canadian territories, new political entities borne of simultaneous Rebellion. Sir John A. (You're O.K.) Quite a fellow.   Although my "You're OK" song on Canada Needs You, volume one ,   sounds mostly like cheer-leading, I in fact harbour quite conflicting impressions of John Alexander Macdonald, Canada's first Prime Minister.   There can be no doubt that this lawyer, politician and nation-builder was an incredibly gifted man, with a seemingly super-human facility for what we now call multi-tasking.   It is hard to imagine Confederation occurring, or the Canadian Pacific Railroad being built, without John A.'s involvement.   When I consider his impressive list of accomplishments in light of some of the realities of his private life, my sense of awe about the man only grows.   His one daughter (Margaret Mary) was born with Hydrocephalus, and John A, in spite of his incessant itinerary as P.M., seems to have been able to find great amounts of time to spend with her, showing his love and care.   His apparent alcoholism, while occasionally infuriating his Parliamentary opponents and colleagues, hardly seems to have slowed him up.     He comes down to us through History's glass as the most charming and persuasive personality. His speechifying, however unpoetic, was known to enthrall the public for hours on end.      Can we plumb his inner motivations?   Did he feel remorse about his treatment of pre-Confederation prairie folk (Specifically Metis and First Nations communities)?   Is this too unreasonable an expectation for someone of his era?   Were huge campaign donations from Railroad financiers (and massive, prime land concessions in return) the only way to get the railroad built?   Did he, in his heart, share Ontario's wish to keep the French language and Catholicism out of the West, or was this just political pragmatism?   And, of course, how was he able to be such a great caricature-doodler in the middle of his own Confederation meetings?   All in all, sitting back and watching his career through the distorted glass of history is a unequaled spectator sport. D'Arcy McGee I wanted to write a song about McGee for several reasons.   Being one of Canada's only political assassination victims (Pierre LaPorte is in similar territory), I felt his story was ripe for ballad treatment - not least for the level of fascination this invites in junior high classrooms.   Also, I find the dual nature of McGee's career (politician and poet) to be an interesting phenomenon to explore...NDP MP Chuck Angus is the only one who currently comes to mind.   My main reason for exploring the McGee story, however, is it's relevance to the present day.   McGee came to North America as an Irish Rebel, as did many others.   The rebel cause in Ireland had begun to turn to potentially violent methods to counter the certainly violent treatment many Irish were then receiving at the hands of their oppressors.   McGee, in the New World, remained commited to the cause of a free Ireland, but steadfastly against importing any of that causes potentially violent or unconstitutional methods.   He championed the roles of public service, journalism, advocacy and art in bringing about a fairer world.   Unfortunately, he was (apparently) cut down by down by a member of a faction that felt that violence and armed struggle was the only option (The Fenians).   It is a contentious dialogue that continues to this very day, with examples in every society.        I find it unfortunate that so few Canadians are familiar with McGee's story.   On Sparks Street in Ottawa, near the sight of his assasination, there now stands a pub named for him (although with little information or commemoration of him inside) and a relatively hideous Federal Government Building named for him (ditto). Louis & Gabriel Certainly two of the most fascinating individuals in Canadian history.   Louis Riel was a Red River (Winnipeg)-born, Montreal-schooled prodigy of French-Canadian and Chipewyan heritage.   In 1870, at 24 years of age,   he headed a provisional government ( and The Red River Resistance ) in what was to become Manitoba, submitting claims to Ottawa on behalf of the Metis population who sought representation and rights after the great expanse of Rupert's Land became Canadian territory.   15 years later, after being twice elected to Parliament, hounded from Canada, having suffered nervous breakdown and assuming a position of ecclesiastic provenance, he returned to help lead the ill-fated Rebellion at Batoche (in present-day Saskatchewan).   In 1885, John A Macdonald (whose government had given short shrift to Riel's 1870 demands and a deaf ear to the Metis' later pleas) ignored the court's request for mercy and had Riel hung for treason.   The treatment of Riel, at the time, was claimed as a victory in (largely Protestant) Ontario and as a tragedy and outrage in (largely Catholic) Quebec.   For most of the 20th Century, school children received completely different versions of the story, depending on their geographic location, language, or religion. Although a general sense of agreement verging on 'Pardon' has coalesced, it is still the font of countless interpretations across Canada.   Riel's trial, incidentally, is constantly being studied by scholars and re-enacted by students ( and Regina tourists ).   In 2003, the CBC produced a televised re-trial, available through their archives. Gabriel Dumont's grandfathers were French Canadian Voyageurs, his grandmothers were Sarcee and Metis.   Dumont was a man of such strength, ability and character he was known as "The Prince of the Plains".    He was regarded with a mixture of awe and respect by his community, and was a great leader in the days of the Buffalo hunt.   He participated in the Resistance of '70 and formed a friendship then with Riel.   14 years later he and two of his colleagues rode to Montana and persuaded the exiled Riel to return with them to Saskatchewan and help them appeal to the government in Ottawa for assistance, rights and recognition.   At this point the Buffalo were almost completely gone, and the Metis communities of the Northwest were being completely ignored by Ottawa.   The scenario evolved haphazardly into Rebellion (some say this was Macdonald's secret wish) with Dumont as defacto general and Riel as leader.   Praised for his shrewd battlefield tactics and spirit, Dumont was none-the-less unable to sway Riel's judgment in some crucial aspects of the short Rebellion campaign.   I highly recommend 2 books relating to this theme. Maggie Siggins'   Riel: A Life of Revolution (Harper Collins) is a superb, balanced telling of the legendary Metis leader's life.   Of added interest in this book is a thought-provoking addendum by Saskatchewan sociology professor Douglas Daniels regarding the themes of insanity and spiritual 'vision' as encountered in the study of Riel, providing valuable insights into the nature of these terms and how they may differ today from 1885.   In another format altogether, I heartily recommend Chester Brown's Louis Riel - a Comic Strip Biography (Drawn & Quarterly).   This excellent graphic novel has great appeal for history buffs, educators and young students alike.   Brown also includes notes for each chapter discussing controversies of the Riel story as well as his own creative process in deciding what to include and what to leave out of his artistic panels.   The book is also a great introduction to the graphic novel form, for those unfamiliar with it.   Canada Needs You At the beginning of the 20th Century, the Canadian government set out upon a policy of encouraging migration and immigration to the prairie provinces.   The completion of the Canadian Pacific Railroad (and other routes that followed), the ghetto-ization onto Reserves of much of the First Nations population, and the east-west trade dynamic fostered by Macdonald's National Policy all conspired to make the times ripe for substantial western settlement.   The Liberal Laurier government, and specifically its Minister of the Interior Clifford Sifton, embarked upon a massive promotion of the western provinces as immigration destination.   Millions of leaflets, posters and brochures were sent and posted across the U.K., Europe and the U.S.   Agricultural displays, caravans and barkers made their way from country to country, encouraging would-be settlers with the promise of free land and unsurpassed bounty. Although Sifton famously pronounced that the ideal immigrant he preferred for the Canadian West was "a stalwart peasant in a sheepskin coat, born on the soil, whose forefathers have been farmers for ten generations, and a stout wife and a half-dozen children", the door was initially opened almost exclusively for British and Americans.   Economic dynamics soon convinced authorities to expand the invitation beyond the prevalent bias towards white English-speakers, to include many eastern, and some southern Europeans.   These latter groups were targets, upon arrival, for all kinds of discrimination and incidents of harsh treatment.   It also should be remembered that this 'Open Door Policy' actively discouraged immigration from any other global point of departure - it was an ethinically-centred program that played itself out most notably in instances such as the head-tax on Chinese immigrants and the brutal door-slamming on Punjabi would-be settlers. The story of the agricultural settlement of the west, then, is one of many highs and lows - on one hand it is the story of a generous welcome to thousands and the incredible feat of creating an awesome breadbasket of the Canadian Prairies and providing a foundation for the subsequent political and economic growth of that region.   On the other hand it is a tale of cynical exploitation of and ethnic prejudice towards thousands of others, most notably the First-Nations communities swept aside to make it all possible. The century since has seen years of great bounty as well as a legacy of great hardship, drought, and bank foreclosures.   I wrote the song "Canada Needs You" as a satirical send-up of those 1905 posters and pamphlets that promised a lush utopia in a geography that couldn't necessarily provide one, and a welcome that wasn't necessarily waiting, depending on one's origins. A Woman Works Twice As Hard This song was written while imagining a recently settled prairie woman, circa 1905, gazing out the window of her 'soddy' (sod and earth home) in a rare moment of relaxation.   I am in awe of the intense determination and stamina settlers must display - living through upheaval, sickness, setbacks and disappointments (as well as surprises and rewards) in order to start a new life in a strange land.   When one makes a life-changing journey of such proportions, is there even time to contemplate regrets, options and what-ifs? I was inspired to write this song by one book more than any other, the excellent and comprehensive compendium of first-person stories and anecdotes A Harvest Yet To Reap (a history of prairie women) edited by Rasmussen, Rasmussen, Savage and Wheeler.   This book offers an eye-opening view of the immense load that Prairie women bore in the settling of the west.   I was also inspired to write the book as I witnessed glimpses of contemporary parallels.   Teaching ESL to recently arrived adult immigrants in Toronto, I marveled at the level of sacrifice, hard work and conviction of the individuals in my classes. It is interesting to trace some of the origins of and inspiration for the Women's Rights Movement in Canada to the incredible contributions of these largely unsung Prairie heroes. ************************** That's all for now - I'll be adding more thoughts and references as time goes by. Again, if you have any questions, suggestions or corrections, don't hesitate to send them my way! Best, Mike

 

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