Clifford Sifton

1861 - 1921

Mr. Sifton was born in 1861 in London, Ontario and moved to Manitoba with his parents in 1875.

In 1882 he was admitted to the Manitoba bar, and later entered politics as a Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly in 1888. In 1891 he becomes the Attorney General and Minister of Education in the provincial government of Thomas Glenway. From 1896 to 1905, Mr. Soften was the Superintendent General of Indian Affairs and the Federal Minister of the Interior and in charge of immigration during an era that basically saw Canada vast western plains occupied and settled. He steered the country into a vigorous immigration policy designed to move people to the west by convincing them of the economic potential and prosperity of Canada to the settlers. Sifton wanted to build “a nation of good farmers.” He felt that the west already had an oversupply of urban workers, and that to encourage the immigration of more city dwellers would only amplify the problems of urban poverty and unemployment and swell the slums of regional centers like Winnipeg. He instructed his agents to discourage immigration of Italians, Blacks, Jews, Orientals and urban Englishmen who would not, he believed, succeed as farmers. Immigration agents sought candidates who were more likely to endure hardships and remain on the farm, this period saw a large influx of Eastern Europeans, including Ukrainians, Doukhobors and other groups from the Austrian and Russian Empires.

In 1905, Mr Sifton resigned from Federal cabinet over the terms of entry of Alberta and Saskatchewan in Confederation and in 1911, Sifton and other prominent western politicians joined Laurier over the negotiation of a reciprocity treaty with the United States which would have made Canada increasingly a part of the United States. Although, Sifton left electoral politics in 1911 and remained an influential figure in Canadian politics. In 1891, he purchased the Manitoba Free Press which he owed until his death in 1921. The Free Press was one of the most influential newspapers in Canada that ensured western Canada’s views were heard in Liberal circles across the country.