Sir Clifford Sifton

Sir Clifford Sifton 1861-1929, Canadian political leader, b. Ontario. A lawyer in Manitoba, he sat (1888-96) in the provincial legislature and then served (1896-1911) in the Canadian House of Commons. As minister of the interior (1896-1905) in Wilfrid Laurier's cabinet he pursued a vigorous immigration policy, which brought to W Canada many settlers from the United States and Europe. Disagreement with Laurier over religious education in the schools in Alberta and Saskatchewan caused him to resign his ministry. In 1911 he withdrew from Parliament and from the Liberal party in opposition to Laurier's reciprocal trade policy. He was chairman of the Canadian conservation commission from 1909 to 1918. Sifton was knighted in 1915.

Sifton, Sir Clifford (b. 10 Mar. 1861, d. 17 Apr. 1929). Canadian politician Born near Arva (Canada West, later Ontario), he moved to Manitoba and was admitted to the Manitoba Bar in 1882. He entered the province's Legislative Assembly in 1888, and was appointed attorney-general in 1891, rising to national prominence because of his defence of national, non-denominational schooling against church-run schools. In 1896, he entered national politics when Laurier appointed him Minister for the Interior and Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs. In these positions, he became the principal architect of a wave of immigration into the prairies, which made these new provinces economically viable and ensured their survival. This promotion of European immigration was accompanied by a disregard for the land claims of native peoples. He resigned from the government in 1905, and in 1911 left the Liberal Party over Laurier's desire to liberalize trade with the USA. He supported the Conservative Union government of 1917, but thereafter drifted back to support Mackenzie King's Liberals.